Eventful missions in video games can cause life-threatening arrhythmias in children with congenital heart disease, say researchers from the Children's Heart Center in Australia, Heart Rhythm reported.
The study involved 22 children who suffered a sudden loss of consciousness during the game shooter or other sharp-scaled video games. All of the children underwent cardiovascular examinations.
Scientists said that the release of adrenaline during the game can cause a deadly arrhythmia attack. According to the scientists, the cause of the attacks was catecholaminergic polymorphic ventricular tachycardia (PAPT). This is a congenital disorder that manifests as episodes of ventricular tachycardia triggered by physical or emotional exertion.
This heart rhythm disorder could be caused by long QT interval syndrome (one of the measures of cardiac activity seen on an ECG). It is a rare inherited disorder, and potentially relevant genetic variants were found in the majority of children (63%).
Scientists believe that adrenergic stimulation caused by emotional arousal is behind the phenomenon. During the incidents, many patients were in an excited state, having just won or lost a game in a game.
The authors of the paper believe that this phenomenon is becoming increasingly common as gaming becomes more popular.
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