SATURDAY, Feb. 5 (HealthDay News) — Super Bowl-related partying, drinking and excitement can lead to injuries — and even death — for fans watching the big game on TV, warns an emergency room doctor.
Drinking, driving — and what can happen if you forget to go when nature calls.
“I’ve seen a number of injuries, some fatal, occur on Super Bowl Sunday because people often pay more attention to the game than to their health and safety. The ER is usually busy after the game and we expect it to be no different this Sunday,” Dr. Jeff Kalina, associate medical director of emergency medicine at Methodist Hospital in Houston, said in a hospital news release.
His patients have included victims of drunken driving crashes, those with stomach ills from a combo of alcohol and junk food, revelers who threw out their backs when they jumped up to cheer, and even a boozed-up fan who broke his teeth trying to open a beer bottle with them.
Another problem, albeit rare, may occurs when someone drinks too much and doesn’t bother to get up and go to the bathroom, Kalina added. This can lead to urinary retention, a condition in which the bladder gets so full that the muscles aren’t strong enough to generate a urine stream.
“During most sporting events people will get up and use the restroom during the commercials and not have any problem. However, most of the time the commercials are the best part of the Super Bowl, so we have seen people who have to come in and have a catheter put in to relieve themselves,” Kalina said.
A rise in domestic violence has also been documented on Super Bowl Sunday.
“There is a lot of testosterone flying around during the Super Bowl. You mix that with alcohol and underlying relationship problems and you have a recipe for disaster. If a woman is in a relationship where this is happening, it might be best to stay away from the house or party on Sunday,” Kalina advised.
More information
For more Super Bowl safety tips, visit the state of Marylands site on driver safety.
SOURCE: Methodist Hospital, Houston, news release, Jan. 31, 2011
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