First case of ‘WhatsAppitis’!

• Doctors warn messaging apps could harm health as they discover first case of ‘WhatsAppitis’

• Hi-tech injury follows ‘Blackberry thumb’ and ‘Nintendoitis’

A Spanish doctor claims to have found the first case of ‘WhatAppitis’ – and warned users of the app it could harm their health.

The unnamed patient complained of pain in both wrists one morning.

after investigating the case, doctors found it was caused by six hours of replying to WhatsApp messages.

The case, described by the doctor in the Lancet, said the 34 year old patient, who was 27 weeks pregnant, was suffering sudden pain in both wrists after waking up in the morning.

Inés Fernandez-Guerrero, of Granada’s General University hospital, wrote that the patient ‘had no history of trauma and had not engaged in any excessive physical activity in previous days’.

After talking to the patient, the cause became clear.

‘The patient was on duty on Dec 24 (Christmas Eve), and the following day, she responded to messages that had been sent to her on her smartphone via WhatsApp instant messaging service.

‘She held her mobile phone, that weighed 130 g, for at least 6 h.

‘During this time she made continuous movements with both thumbs to send messages.’

After examining the patient for signs of serious injury, ‘The diagnosis for the bilateral wrist pain was WhatsAppitis,’ the doctors wrote.

The patient was given painkilling drugs and banned fro using her phone – although the patient admitted she did text friends on New Year’s Eve.

the doctors also warned the injury was just the latest in a string of hi-tech problems.

‘A so-called Nintendinitis was first described in 1990,1 and since then several injuries associated with video games and new technologies have been reported.

‘Initially reported in children, such cases are now seen in adults.

‘Tenosynovitis caused by texting with mobile phones could well be an emerging disease.

‘Physicians need to be mindful of these new disorders.’