COMPUTER users beware. Spend too much time pushing that mouse about and you
could end up with a nasty case of 鈥渕ouse fingers鈥�.
Maarten Vermeer and Derk Bruynzeel of the Academic Hospital of the Free
University in Amsterdam report the case of a computer programmer who developed
eczema on the tips of his thumb and little finger, caused by his hands rubbing
against the mouse mat (Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology,
vol 45, p 1073).
It鈥檚 the latest in a series of silicon-age disorders, they say. Among other
hazards faced by the point-and-click generation are 鈥渕ouse wrist鈥�, 鈥渃omputer
palm鈥� and 鈥渕ouse elbow鈥�.
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