Gout and Bubble Tea Consumption: Cause of Painful Joints

Did you know that having bubble tea too often can lead to painful joints and gouty attacks?

(Photo: Pexels/Rodnae Productions)

Dr Victor Seah has been seeing four or five patients a month with gout. These patients have shared with him that they consumed bubble milk tea regularly, although the exact amount and frequency were undetermined.

So what’s the bubble tea connection? Isn’t gout typically caused by consuming too much red meat, nuts, seafood and beer?

If you have the habit of drinking a cup a day, should you be concerned about gout?

Dr Victor Seah shares in a CNA Lifestyle article this little known fact and explains the symptoms and treatment of gout.

What is gout?

A gout is a form of inflammatory arthritis that causes intense pain, swelling, and stiffness in a joint. This is due to the high levels of uric acid in your blood.

Normally, uric acid in your blood gets filtered out by the kidneys and gets passed out as urine. But when the levels are too high, the uric acid can build up and form needle-like crystals in the joints, particularly the big toe.

What is a gout attack?

A gout attack frequently starts with a tingling sensation, which rapidly progresses to severe pain. It is a severe, sharp and sometimes, burning pain at the joints and some patients have described it as a sensation of being poked by many needles. The pain is constant and is painful even when resting.

Gout typically affects the big toe joint of the foot, but it can also affect the ankles, knees and even wrists and elbow joints.

What are the signs and symptoms of a gout attack?

• Redness, warmth, swelling and pain can involve one or a few joints. The big toe, knee or ankle joints are most often affected.
• The pain starts suddenly, often during the night.
• There may be a fever.

What are the complications of gout?

• Uncontrolled gout can cause joint deformity, cartilage damage, arthritis, chronic pain and stiffness.
• Uric acid crystals may sometimes be deposited in the skin and soft tissues causing painful lumps, ulcerations that can get infected, and even skin breakdown.
• Urate crystals may collect in the urinary tracts of people with gout, causing kidney stones.

Dr Victor Seah is an orthopaedic surgeon whose main area of subspecialty is in are in trauma/fractures and foot and ankle surgeries.

For a comprehensive assessment of your foot and ankle conditions, make an appointment to consult Dr Seah at +65 67340378 now!