The risk of subjective symptoms in mobile phone users in Poland – An epidemiological study

Abstract

Objectives: To assess the type and incidence of subjective symptoms related to the use of mobile phones in Polish users. Material and Methods:The study was conducted in 2005 using a questionnaire survey. Although it has been quite a long time, up to now, no such data have been published for Poland. The questionnaire consisted of 53 questions concerning sex, age, education, general health, characteristics of a mobile phone (hand-held, loud-speaking unit) as well as the habits associated with its use (frequency and duration of calls, text messages, etc.) and complaints associated with using a mobile phone. Results: As many as 1800 questionnaires were sent. The response was obtained from 587 subjects aged 32.6±11.3 (48.9% women, 51.1% men); the age did not differ significantly between men and women. The subjects owned a cell phone for an average of 3 years. Majority of the respondents used the phone intensively, i.e. daily (74%) or almost daily (20%). Headaches were reported significantly more often by the people who talked frequently and long in comparison with other users (63.2% of the subjects, p = 0.0029), just like the symptoms of fatigue (45%, p = 0.013). Also, the feeling of warmth around the ear and directly to the auricle was reported significantly more frequently by the intensive mobile phone users, compared with other mobile phone users (47.3%, p = 0.00004 vs. 44.6%, p = 0.00063, respectively). Most symptoms appeared during or immediately after a call and disappeared within 2 h after the call. Continuous headache, persisting for longer than 6 h since the end of a call, was reported by 26% of the subjects. Conclusions: Our results show that the mobile phone users may experience subjective symptoms, the intensity of which depends on the intensity of use of mobile phones.

A cross-sectional study of the association between mobile phone use and symptoms of ill health

“…The correlation between mobile phone use and headaches has previously been reported in several studies. Similar to the result of the present study, it has been reported that the headache severity perceived by mobile phone users was greater as the duration of a phone call using a mobile phone was increased [12,34,35]. In addition, it has been reported that the heat sensation adjacent to the ears was increased as the duration of a phone call using a mobile phone was increased [36,37], and a considerable number of the subjects who complained of this heat sensation also complained of headaches [38].…”

“…Previous studies have suggested that headaches, which are a type of non-specific symptom, might be correlated with mobile phone use [12-14]. This cross-sectional study analyzed the correlations between the characteristics of mobile phone usage (frequency and duration) and symptoms related to daily living, such as headaches, stress, cognitive function, depression, and sleep patterns.…”

Pathological use of mobile phones by secondary school students

“…Considering the rapid development and widespread mobile phone use in everyday life (almost 24 hours a day), it is important to study the possible negative health effects [6]. A person addicted to a mobile phone is so absorbed in their phone that they are not able to function normally without it.…”

Effect of stress and intesity of mobile phone using on the health and subjective symptoms in GSM workers

“…Szczegóły doboru osób do grupy i dotyczące samej grupy zamieszczono w publikacji Szyjkowskiej i wsp. (2014) [7]. W dalszym etapie badań z grupy wybrano osoby, które zawodowo korzystały z telefonów komórkowych (208 osób).…”

“…W niniejszym badaniu oprócz wrażenia ciepła w okolicy ucha zgłaszano przede wszystkim uczucie znużenia po rozmowie, nawet przyjemnej, zaburzenia pamięci świeżej i pogorszenie koncentracji uwagi [7,18]. W badaniach Hockinga (1998) [19], Khan (2008) [20] oraz Meo i Al-Dress (2005) [21] dominującymi objawami związanymi z używaniem telefonu komórkowego były natomiast bóle głowy, zaburzenia Tabela 7.…”