Gout: Old man's disease? Not anymore

More men in their teens, 20s and 30s are plagued by the disease, on the back of less active lifestyles and diets packed with fructose-laden drinks and high-purine food like red meat

PHOTO: ISTOCKPHOTO
Kway chap, comprising stewed organs such as intestines and tripe, is high in purine.
Kway chap, comprising stewed organs such as intestines and tripe, is high in purine. PHOTO: ST FILE
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It started the morning after a night of heavy drinking. Mr Kevin Heng, who was 22 at the time, woke up to horrendous pain in his right ankle. He could barely walk. But he thought the ankle, which he had broken in secondary school playing touch rugby, was just acting up.

He was studying in Australia then and decided to tough it out. Finally, after 21/2 weeks of agony, he saw a doctor and was diagnosed with gout.

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Sunday Times on August 11, 2019, with the headline Gout: Old man's disease? Not anymore. Subscribe