A TEENAGE girl addicted to bubble tea reportedly fell into a coma for five days after having two cups of the sugary drink every day for one month.
Her doctor said the 18-year-old, whose name has not been reported, recorded blood sugar levels roughly 25 times higher than normal.
The teenager from Shangai, China, reportedly weighed 275 lb (125 kg) when she fell into a coma and was taken to Ruijin Hospital on May 2.
Her mum is said to have confirmed her daughter was addicted to sugary drinks including bubble tea and cola and was spending more than £12 (111 RMB) on the beverages every day for a month.
Emergency department medic Lu Yiming reportedly said the girl fell into a diabetic coma caused by hyperglycemia – dangerously high levels of blood sugar.
A week before she was found unconscious by family members, the bubble tea fan had also experienced symptoms including thirst, nausea and frequent urination, according to reports.
The symptoms are signs of the related complication known as diabetic ketoacidosis or DKA.
The girl was reportedly put on a ventilator and haemodialysis before waking from her coma five days later.
On June 1, her condition was said to be stable and she was transferred to Nanxiang Hospital for follow-up care.
By the time she was discharged from Ruijin Hospital, the teenage had lost 77lb (35 kg) and promised she would never drink bubble tea again, reports said.
Bubble tea, also known as boba, is a Taiwanese recipe made by blending a tea base with milk, fruit and fruit juices, then adding the signature “bubbles” – tapioca or fruit pearls that sit at the bottom of the glass.
A 500ml cup of brown sugar boba milk can contain about 92g of sugar, about three times more than the amount of sugar in a 320ml can of Coca-Cola, according to Channel News Asia.
In January, a 13-year-old boy was admitted to First Affiliated Hospital of Xinxiang Medical University in Central China’s Henan province after failing to digest the starchy tapioca pearls in his bubble tea.
They formed two large lumps in his intestines and had to be removed in emergency surgery.
In June 2019, a 14-year-old girl from Zhejiang Province in East China was found with undigested tapioca balls occupying her stomach and intestines.
They were also the result of her favourite bubble tea drink, and stopped her from going to the toilet for five days.
What is hyperglycaemia?
Hyperglycaemia is the technical term for high blood glucose (blood sugar). It occurs when the body has too little insulin – a hormone that absorbs glucose into cells for use as energy – or when the body can’t use insulin properly.
High blood sugar is a leading indicator of diabetes. If a person with diabetes does not manage the sugar levels in their blood, they can develop a severe complication called diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA).
Hyperglycaemia is different from hypoglycaemia, which is an abnormally low level of glucose in your blood. It is most commonly associated with diabetes, and mainly occurs if someone with diabetes takes too much insulin, misses a meal or exercises too hard.
What causes hyperglycaemia?
Most people will experience an increase in blood sugar levels after eating an unusually large high-glucose meal, but people who experience consistent hyperglycemia may have problems with producing or using insulin.
What are the symptoms?
The most common symptoms are:
Why is it dangerous?
It’s important to treat hyperglycemia, because if left untreated, it can become severe and lead to serious complications requiring emergency care, such as a diabetic coma. In the long term, persistent hyperglycemia, even if not severe, can lead to complications affecting your eyes, kidneys, nerves and heart.
Sources: American Diabetes Association, Medical News Today and Mayo Clinic
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