Imagine getting drunk without drinking a drop of alcohol.
That’s the bizarre reality for those with auto-brewery syndrome, where gut fungi ferment carbohydrates into alcohol inside the body. One woman’s unexplained intoxication led to multiple ER visits, psychiatric assessments, and legal issues before doctors finally uncovered the rare culprit.
A Strange Case of Intoxication Without Drinking Alcohol
How can someone become intoxicated without drinking alcohol? A rare condition called auto-brewery syndrome causes the body to produce alcohol internally. This happens when gut fungi ferment carbohydrates, leading to alcohol production. A case study published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal (CMAJ) highlights this unusual disorder.
“Auto-brewery syndrome carries substantial social, legal, and medical consequences for patients and their loved ones,” writes Dr. Rahel Zewude, University of Toronto, with coauthors. “Our patient had several [emergency department] visits, was assessed by internists and psychiatrists, and was certified under the Mental Health Act before receiving a diagnosis of auto-brewery syndrome, reinforcing how awareness of this syndrome is essential for clinical diagnosis and management.”
Mysterious Symptoms Lead to Multiple ER Visits
Emergency department (ED), gastroenterology, and infectious disease specialists discuss the case of a 50-year-old woman who had visited the ED at least 7 times for extreme daytime sleepiness and slurred speech and, despite not drinking alcohol, had elevated blood alcohol levels and alcohol on her breath.
She had been on several antibiotic courses for recurrent urinary tract infections alongside a proton pump inhibitor.
Diagnosis and Treatment: Fighting Gut Fermentation
At the seventh visit, she was given a possible diagnosis of auto-brewery syndrome, antifungal medication, and referral to a gastroenterologist.
Antifungal medication and low-carbohydrate diets are the main treatment for the condition.
Reference: “Auto-brewery syndrome in a 50-year-old woman” by Rahel T. Zewude, Kenneth Croitoru, Ronit Das, Brian Goldman and Isaac I. Bogoch, 3 June 2024, CMAJ.
DOI: 10.1503/cmaj.231319
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3 Comments
You should front page that. That’s why if you feel fine and are just driving and get pulled over you should never blow. It is particle for people to unknowingly make gut liquor without having anything to drink. Everyone has had one of those days where they just felt a little off.
idiot
should have said typical alcoholic response. driving, you should expect everybody to be impaired, because most are. straight fact of life. 90% of the people I see everyday are drunk, high, stoned or inebriated in some fashion. growing up in the 70 80’s every kid in my neighborhood was drinking alcohol, and it’s the same now as then. common fact humans search for the altered states of being.
and they’re all guilty of murder the moment they drive.