BACKGROUND: To elucidate significance of physical signs seen in excessive television-game (TVG) players complaining of unexplained persistent symptoms, a cross-sectional cohort study was designed. METHODS: A total of 1143 school @entity1 , aged between 6 and 11-years-old, and their parents were included in the study. Questionnaires were sent to guardians asking the number of hours that their @entity1 watched TV, TVG, and slept. All @entity1 were examined to check for three physical signs, black rings in the skin under the eye (BR), @entity121 in the shoulder ( @entity15 ), and displacement of the scapula associated with @entity121 in the shoulder (DS/ @entity15 ) by inspection and palpitation. RESULTS: The three signs, BR, @entity15 and DS/ @entity15 , were present in 165 (14.4%), 229 (20.0%) and 72 (6.2%) @entity1 , respectively. @entity1 had greater frequencies of two signs than @entity1 (BR, 19.6% vs 8.9%, P<0.01; @entity15 , 26.1% vs 13.6%, P<0.01), respectively. @entity1 spent more time on TVG playing than @entity1 (1.1+/-0.7 h/day vs 0.4+/-0.6 h/day, P<0.0001), respectively. Excessive TVG players, who spent > or = 1 h/day for TVG had greater frequencies of two signs, BR and @entity15 , than those of non-TVG-players (18.9% vs 13.0%, P<0.05; 25.6% vs 14.4%, P<0.01), respectively. The TVG playing time correlated with two signs, BR (P=0.0143) and @entity15 (P=0.0048). Furthermore, @entity1949 related to three signs, BR (P=0.0078), @entity15 (P<0.0001) and DS/ @entity15 (P=0.0290). CONCLUSIONS: Excessive TVG playing links to the occurrence of BR and @entity15 . Other factors, which cause @entity1949 , may underlie in the occurrence of the three signs. The amount of time spent on TVG playing should be regulated to < 1.0 h/day.

Physical signs associated with excessive television-game XXXX .

@entity1 :: ('9606', 'Species') :: ['children', 'Boys', 'girls'] @entity1949 :: ('MESH:D012892', 'Disease') :: ['sleep deprivation'] @entity121 :: ('MESH:D009135', 'Disease') :: ['muscle stiffness'] @entity15 :: ('MESH:D009103', 'Disease') :: ['MS']
@entity1949 :: (MESH:D012892,Disease) :: ['playing and sleep deprivation']
