Official News page 7

REAL LIFE NEWS: SEE, I TOLD YOU GAMES CONSOLES WERE BAD FOR YOU!

by Hazed

Apparently, game consoles can cause skin sores. Ewww.

Dermatologists have identified a new skin disorder, called PlayStation palmar hidradenitis. In an article in the British Journal of Dermatology, they report the case of a 12-year-old girl who went to a hospital in Switzerland with painful sores on her palms. She had been using a games console regularly, and after leaving it alone for ten days, the sores went away.

The doctors who examined her diagnosed a condition called 'idiopathic eccrine hidradenitis', a skin disorder that causes red, sore lumps on the palms of the hands and the soles of the feet. It's previously been found on the soles of children who do a lot of heavy physical activity, such as jogging, and is thought to be linked to intense sweating.

In the case of this girl, she didn't jog or take part in any other sports, but her parents did report that she had recently started to play a PlayStation game for several hours a day, and had continued to play even after she got the sores. The doctors suspect the cause of the problem was grasping the console tightly and repeatedly pushing the buttons, together with sweating caused by the tension of the game.

Nina Goad, of the British Association of Dermatologists said: "This is an interesting discovery and one that the researchers are keen to share with other dermatologists, should they be confronted with similar, unexplained symptoms in a patient.

"If you're worried about soreness on your hands when playing a games console, it might be sensible to give your hands a break from time to time, and don't play excessively if your hands are prone to sweating."

I repeat, Ewww!

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