The World Cup can be dangerous, even deadly, for fanatical fans, doctors warned recently.

Three Chinese died while watching games and a Shanghai man was seriously injured -- he was so excited, jumping up and down, that he fell off his balcony.

All casualties were over-wrought soccer fans, prompting doctors to issue warnings.

With many games yet to be played, physicians are telling soccer fans to be careful of their mood, their drinking and their blood pressure.

The non-Shanghai deaths were probably caused by heart attacks, doctors said.

In the Shanghai case doctors at Changhai Hospital spent five hours in surgery on Monday on the unlucky soccer fan, Ge Zuquan, 29. He suffered broken bones in his spine, hip, ankle and wrist in a fall from his fourth-floor apartment in Zhuqiao town in Nanhui District.

Ge was watching the Netherlands play Cote d'Ivoire on Friday night - the Netherlands won. It wasn't known which team Ge was rooting for.

He got so excited during the first half that he rushed to the balcony, jumped and cheered. But he bounced over the railing in his apartment.

He fell in a greenery area that softened the fall; he also broke the fall with his hand, but still injured his hip. Doctors said he could have been paralyzed if his spine had been broken.

He was sent to Nanhui District Central Hospital and was transferred to Changhai Hospital later.

Surgery was successful and doctors said Ge will walk normally.

In other cases, two soccer fans on the mainland, a 24-year-old man and a 43-year-old woman, reportedly died suddenly.

The young man, surnamed Wang, had been drinking heavily and was very excited while watching a game in a pub in Changsha, Hunan Province, early on June 10. He died at about 4 AM.

A second case took place early on June 14 in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province. South Korea was playing Togo and winning. A woman surnamed Wei, with a history of high blood pressure, was very excited. She took a shower, went to bed and later died.

In Hong Kong, 27-year-old Li Zhenbao died in his sleep early on June 14. He had stayed up all night, watching three games in a row. Doctors suspected he died of a heart attack brought on by over-excitement.

Doctors urged soccer fans should try to control their emotions and avoid drinking too much while watching World Cup games.

(Shanghai Daily June 21, 2006)