Video games – and particularly warfare games – could be a potential trigger for lethal heart consequence in susceptible tyke , fit in to a raw report . In children with various heart conditions predispose them to cardiac arrhythmias , playing television game could levy blood insistence to the point at which an plan of attack is more likely to occur in rare case , hint a causal link between the two .

The study comes after previous reports of cardiac arrhythmias ( an unnatural heart rhythm ) during sessions of gaming in child and adolescents , though there were no report prior . While high - risk activities are more often than not mentioned in counseling pass on to families with children that have spunk conditions , video game are not . A fresh study by researchers from Canada and Australia sought to uncover whether there is a link .

The authors analyzed multiple cases of nestling and stripling that had proven arrhythmias during gaming , including verbatim meeting with health care professional person and trawl through existing account . Researchers identify 51 unique records , none of which were randomise controlled trial run .

Out of the records , 22 individuals had proven arrhythmia events during electronic gambling . All were aged 7 - 16 and the vast majority ( 19/22 ) were male . symptom ranged from chest pain to lifetime - threatening events , and four people died as a final result of the gaming - linked cardiac arrhythmia . Of fussy note was when the child were name with spunk conditions – just seven of them had been diagnosed prior to the play event while 12 were diagnose subsequently , indicate it can be a trigger of underlying conditions .

Eight of the patients were play war games at the time , and of the seven that had data involve the stage of the secret plan in which the heart event occurred , six of them had just won or lose , with one “ chute up and down in excitation . ” The other was fighting with a sibling over the controller .

It is noted that the study is limit by the opt - in nature , meaning only vitrine reports that are put ahead to the study are considered , and adult have not yet been analyzed to see if the same link exists .

The author now verbalise that a history of syncope ( fainting or pass out ) in children during gaming should act as a warning mansion for underlying heart conditions and be involve into account statement during clinical assessments . Subsequent tryout should be performed in tike with these trait for minimize the chance of lethal events .

The study was publish in the journalHeart Rhythm .