Video games may seem like a sedentary activity — but the adrenaline rush they give can trigger deadly heart rhythms in susceptible children, a landmark new study found.
Games can cause an uncommon but distinct pattern of arrhythmic heartbeats, which has even caused death in some kids with cardiac issues, a report published in Heart Rhythm found.
“Video games may represent a serious risk to some children with arrhythmic conditions; they might be lethal in patients with predisposing, but often previously unrecognized arrhythmic conditions,” head researcher Claire M. Lawley, MBBS, PhD said in a press release.
The researchers found that many of the children who suffered heart issues were playing “multi-player war games” on both console and computer, though they did not specify what games.
They also said that patients entered “excited states” and grew ill after fighting with their fellow players.
The experts warned that children who experience blackouts while gaming should be taken to a heart specialist as losing consciousness could be a telling sign of an undiagnosed heart problem.
The adrenaline rush from physical activity and heightened emotions, such as gaming, can lead to blackouts, palpitations and dizziness.
Catecholaminergic polymorphic ventricular tachycardia (CPVT) and congenital long QT syndrome (LQTS) types 1 and 2 were found to be the most common underlying causes with the majority of diagnoses being genetic.
In some cases, a child’s video game-induced blackout led to others in his family being checked out and diagnosed with a genetic heart condition.
While the possibly deadly reactions to video gaming were not a common occurrence, they should be taken very seriously and have some reconsidering video gaming as a safe alternative to contact sports.
“We already know that some children have heart conditions that can put them at risk when playing competitive sports, but we were shocked to discover that some patients were having life-threatening blackouts during video gaming,” researcher Christian Turner, MBBS said.
“Video gaming was something I previously thought would be an alternative ‘safe activity.’ This is a really important discovery. We need to ensure everyone knows how important it is to get checked out when someone has had a blacking out episode in these circumstances.”
A poll released this summer found that adults believe that video games should be taught in schools as well as be a part of the normal school curriculum but as they continue to become increasingly popular, the health benefits and impacts of video games continue to be studied and debated.