A teenager in China suffered a serious health scare after spending long hours on his phone and playing video games during his school break, with little physical movement throughout the day.
According to Sin Chew Daily, the student had completed China’s national college entrance examination (gaokao) and spent more than five hours daily scrolling through his phone and gaming.
During this period, he was frequently seated on the sofa or lying in bed while using his device and rarely took time to walk or engage in physical activities.
After about two weeks, the teenager began experiencing swelling, enlargement and continuous pain in his right calf, making it increasingly difficult and painful for him to walk.
His family initially believed the symptoms were caused by muscle strain from sitting for extended periods. However, as his condition worsened, they decided to take him to the hospital for medical attention.
Doctors later diagnosed him with deep vein thrombosis (DVT), a serious condition where a blood clot develops in a deep vein, commonly affecting areas such as the lower leg, thigh or pelvis.
Medical experts explained that while the teenager may have had an underlying tendency that increased his risk of developing blood clots, prolonged inactivity was identified as a major contributing factor.
Doctors said one of the most common warning signs of DVT is unusual swelling in only one leg, often accompanied by pain, heaviness, tenderness, redness or warmth around the affected area.
They also warned that symptoms such as chest pain, difficulty breathing, rapid heartbeat or coughing up blood could indicate that the clot had travelled to the lungs, causing a potentially life-threatening pulmonary embolism.
Health experts advised people to seek immediate medical attention if such symptoms appear, while reminding the public to maintain regular movement and avoid prolonged periods of inactivity.
