Hum. Reprod. Advance Access published online on December 2, 2004
Human Reproduction, doi:10.1093/humrep/deh645
© 2004 by European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology
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1 Department of Preventive Medicine, College of Medicine, Chungbuk National University, Korea
* To whom correspondence should be addressed. BACKGROUND: ‘PC Game Rooms’ were first popularized in Korea, although the concept is now becoming popular worldwide. PC Game Rooms provide users with high-performance PC connected to the high-speed internet, and access to computer games. However, PC Game Room users are exposed to various hazardous agents such as cigarette smoke in a confined environment, and thus it is likely that excessive PC Game Room use involves abnormal exposure to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) as well as being associated with disturbed sleep or circadian rhythm. METHODS: In this cross-sectional study, the exposure to PAH was evaluated by measuring urinary 1-hydroxypyrene (1-OHP) and 2-naphthol. The correlations between PC Game Room use and PAH exposure and plasma testosterone and LH levels were analysed in 208 young male Koreans. RESULTS: Urinary 1-OHP concentrations increased (P=0.0001) and plasma testosterone levels decreased (P=0.0153) significantly with increased duration of PC Game Room use. Correlation analysis showed that plasma testosterone concentrations were significantly negatively correlated with urinary 1-OHP (r=-0.22, P=0.0012) and 2-naphthol (r=-0.15, P=0.0308) concentrations. Moreover, these associations persisted after adjusting for other independent variables. However, the duration of PC Game Room use itself was not found to be an independent significant determinant of plasma testosterone level. Rather, PC Game Room use increased PAH exposure, which decreased plasma testosterone level. The younger age group (15-19 years) showed a more prominent decrease in plasma testosterone concentrations with increasing duration of PC Game Room use than the older age group (20-24 years) (r2=0.355, P=0.0301 versus r2=0.213, P=0.0001). CONCLUSIONS: These results imply that the excessive use of PC Game Rooms is related to an adverse impact on sex hormonal status in young male Koreans via PAH exposure. This effect was more prominent in the younger age group.
Revised September 28, 2004
Accepted November 11, 2004
Article
Effect of ‘PC Game Room’ use and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon exposure on plasma testosterone concentrations in young male Koreans
2 Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, College of Medicine, Seoul National University, Korea
3 Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, College of Medicine, Seoul National University, Korea
4 Department of Preventive Medicine and Institute of Environmental Medicine, College of Medicine, Seoul National University, Korea
5 Department of Internal Medicine, College of Medicine, Chungbuk National University, Korea
6 Department of Preventive Medicine, College of Medicine, Chungbuk National University, Korea
7 Department of Preventive Medicine, College of Medicine, Chungbuk National University, Korea and
Jong-Won Kang, E-mail: jwkang{at}pm.cbu.ac.kr
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