A football fan in Shanghai died on Sunday from a brain hemorrhage after staying up late three consecutive nights to watch the 2014 FIFA World Cup.

The 39 year old, surnamed Zhou, was at home watching the football match between Costa Rica and Uruguay early Sunday morning when he suddenly collapsed. He was immediately rushed to the Shanghai No. 10 People's Hospital at around 3 a.m.

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The hospital's neurosurgery department director Gao Liang said that Zhou had a history of high blood pressure which may have possibly contributed to the brain hemorrhage and eventual stroke suffered by the patient. He added that people with heart conditions and high blood pressure are more susceptible to brain hemorrhages during periods of anxiety or excitement.

On Sunday evening, Zhou was pronounced dead at 9 p.m.

According to Zhou's relatives, he was an avid fan of the sport and had already stayed up the previous two nights to watch the games.

Meanwhile, hospitals in Shanghai have experienced a spike in the number of emergency cases since the FIFA World Cup started last week.

At Huashan Hospital, the accident and emergency department had reported a 50 percent increase in patients over the weekend. Out of the total number of patients over this period, 40 percent cited stomach or respiratory problems, illnesses commonly attributed to irregular sleeping and eating patterns, China.org has learned.

The FIFA World Cup games air in China during the early hours of the morning at midnight, 3 a.m., 4 a.m. and 6 a.m. because of the 11-hour time difference between China and Brazil.

A 29 year old football fan, Liu Yitao, admitted that he had been staying up late to watch the games and lately had been feeling tired at work as a result. He said that he now plans to watch the games during the weekends only.

Another fan, Shen Jing, said that he had strategized in order to watch the games and not lose too much sleep over it.

"I'll pick the important games to watch live, and follow the rest through the news of TV reruns of matches," she said.

This is not the first time that a death was linked to watching football games.

During the Euro 2012, a fan had reportedly died from exhaustion after staying up late for 11 nights to watch the championship games.

In Zhejiang, five people died after a 50 year old driver reported to have stayed up the night to watch the football games had collided with another vehicle in a tunnel in Wenshou.

Likewise, deaths reported in Suzhou and Dalian was also linked to watching the games.

Tags2014 FIFA, Soccer, uruguay, costa rica, Football, Sports news, soccer match, high blood, Gao Liang, Huashan, stroke, brain hemorrhage, sleep deprivation, exhaustion, odd news, Suzhou, Dalian, Shanghai No. 10 People's Hospital, Society