Fans struggling with 'World Cup syndrome' treated at TCM clinic

Meizhou Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine in eastern Guangdong province has set up a special clinic to treat patients suffering from "World Cup syndrome", said a senior TCM practitioner from the hospital.

"Most of the patients suffering from World Cup syndrome are men and soccer fans who stay up late to watch the ongoing Qatar World Cup," according to Zhang Yanzhong from the hospital's dedicated clinic.

World Cup syndrome mainly refers to the sudden increase of gastrointestinal, cardiovascular, cerebrovascular and respiratory diseases caused by patients' big emotional fluctuations during the monthlong World Cup, said Zhang.

Milder symptoms include insomnia, visceral dysfunction and anxiety caused by continuously staying up late, as well as emotional fluctuations, he said.

The Qatar World Cup kicked off on Nov 21 and will run until Dec 18.

A "city of football", Meizhou has a large number of fans, and many of them stay up late to watch the World Cup, Zhang said.

Doctors in his hospital had seen many patients with World Cup syndrome during the previous World Cup four years ago, he said.

To meet the demand for treatment this time around, Zhang's hospital opened a special World Cup syndrome clinic.

They have treated more than 100 patients so far.

Treatment is mainly based on the characteristic treatment of TCM, using acupuncture, moxibustion, massage and other traditional means, said Zhang.

The clinic integrates multiple departments, including preventive medicine, emergency, endocrinology, and acupuncture and massage to provide patients with characteristic TCM treatment and medical services. "The treatment effect has been quite good so far," said Zhang.

All the doctors in the special clinic play on the hospital's soccer team, and can better understand the emotions of the fans, Zhang said.

Wang Zhaoming, a white-collar worker in Guangzhou, said hospitals really need to open World Cup syndrome clinics.

"The country actually has a large number of soccer fans, though the overall level of Chinese soccer is not high," he said.

He said he once felt a little headache the day after he stayed up late to watch a game and wanted to see a doctor.

Zhang said that last month he saw a patient who is a fan of Lionel Messi and the Argentinian team.

The patient arrived at the hospital to seek medical help when he had chest tightness, panic and other symptoms after watching Argentina lose to Saudi Arabia.

Zhang predicted the number of patients who suffer from World Cup syndrome would grow in the weeks to come.

With more competitions between powerhouses during the knockout stage, Zhang said, the number of patients will increase.

He urged soccer fans to stretch their legs and bend down after sitting for a long time to watch the games, or massage their necks to stimulate blood circulation and reduce the risk of contracting World Cup syndrome.

Fans should calm down as soon as possible after the game, as it improves the speed and quality of sleep, Zhang said.

"Although the World Cup competitions are wonderful, fans should pay special attention to their health, as staying up late to watch the games can cause great damage to the kidneys," he said, adding that it's unhealthy to have midnight snacks and drink a lot of beer at night while watching the games.

Zhang urged fans to try to avoid staying up late, unless necessary.

Guan Suxin contributed to this story.