Warnings over heart-stopping football fervor
- Source: Global Times
- [11:32 June 17 2010]
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By Chen Xiaoru
A doctor has warned football fans with heart conditions to be wary of over-indulging during the World Cup after one local resident suffered an alcohol-induced heart attack while watching the tournament.
The 28-year-old football fan surnamed Li, who has a history of heart disease, collapsed at home while watching the tournament on June 11, Oriental Morning Post reported on June 14. He was taken to Shanghai Yodak Cardio-Thoracic Hospital in Xuhui district, and discharged a few days later.
Lu Hong, a director at the hospital, told the Global Times Wednesday that Li's wife usually prevents Li from drinking too much beer. However, before he suffered the heart attack, he had drunk six cans, which doctors said brought on the attack.
Li is not the only football fan to have suffered a heart attack while watching the World Cup. A 50-year-old man from Jinan in Shandong Province died from a heart attack on June 12, after staying up to watch the tournament, Shandong Business Daily reported on June 15
The phenomenon is not limited to China. According to Titan24.com, a sports news portal, a Mexican fan suffered a heart attack brought on by excitement while watching the opening match between Mexico and South Africa on June 11.
Zhang Fan, a doctor at Yodak Hospital who specializes in heart disease, told the Global Times Wednesday that there is usually an increase in heart attacks around the time of major sporting events such as the World Cup.
"Not getting enough rest, getting over-excited and drinking too much alcohol largely increase the risk of cardiovascular disease," said Zhang. He called on people who suffer chest pains or discomfort to seek professional help promptly, and for sufferers of heart disease to keep their medication at hand when watching games.
A report in the British Medical Journal found the risk of being admitted to hospital for chest complaints was 25 percent higher on the day that England was knocked out of the World Cup on penalties by Argentina during the 1998 tournament in France. Hospitalizations for heart attacks in the UK continued to be abnormally high for the following two days.
