Owing to time difference, the World Cup being held in Germany
has not paralyzed Beijing's fragile transportation system, but the
faces of overly excited soccer fans in the city.
One of Beijing's media quoted hospital statistics on the 19th
that since the World Cup started on June 9th, patients with "facial
paralysis" increased over 20 percent in hospitals compared to
normal periods. As the games see heightening tension, the number of
such patients will also see an uptrend.
"Facial paralysis" is called "prosopoplegia" in medical terms.
The patient usually feels nothing wrong the evening before, but
when waking up early the next morning, he would find the corners of
the mouth askew, one of his eyes unable to close and one side of
the face paralyzed.
A hospital chief in Beijing said since the World Cup began,
soccer fans have been kept in a nervous, excited and tired state
for a long time almost every day, and their emotion fluctuates
violently with the offense and defense of the games, which leads to
weaker nervous function and facial immunity and sharply increase
the possibility of facial paralysis.
Moreover, drinking without restraint also leads to weaker facial
immunity and drunken soccer fans are subject to facial paralysis if
they get injured.
Another factor that should not be overlooked is watching soccer
games in an air-conditioned environment for a long time, especially
in a crowded room without good ventilation. Owing to the obvious
difference in temperature indoors and outdoors and lack of fresh
air, soccer fans catch a cold easily, and cold is a main inducement
of facial paralysis.
(Chinanews.cn June 22, 2006)
