Volume 173 - Issue 11
Olympic couch potatoes
Author: Garry Walter
Med J Aust 2000; 173 (11): 664.
Published online: 4 December 2000
Published online: 4 December 2000
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Christmas Offerings Olympic couch potatoesMJA 2000; 173: 664
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The Sydney Olympic Games were captivating. Hordes of people flocked
to the torch relay, the sports stadiums and entertainment venues.
When not out and about, most of us spent a considerable amount of time
glued to the action on television, a pastime not without potential
complications. During the Games, my wife, a pharmacist at a large
teaching hospital, reported that a newly admitted patient had been
given a diagnosis of "TV vegetation". Was this a new syndrome,
comprising stiffness, visual impairment, insomnia and blunted
mind, the culmination of countless hours of TV viewing? Had the
condition been described in Atlanta or Barcelona? Was SOCOG about to
be bombarded with compensation claims? Had the consultant been too
frivolous and abusive of medical terminology, or was he "sharing the
spirit" and participating appropriately in the Olympic banter? None
of the above. The patient, a young intravenous drug user, had
"tricuspid valve vegetation", and had been admitted with a high fever
and renal failure. He eventually made a full recovery.
 Garry Walter
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