Doctors ruled out a 50-year-old woman’s life-threatening illness seven times, accusing her of being drunk.
The woman, from Canada, suffered from the rare and intriguing disease autobrewery syndrome, which causes the body to produce alcohol, causing symptoms such as slurred speech, sudden drowsiness and blurred vision, as if the patient were intoxicated.
However, it was two years before he was diagnosed, as doctors ignored his persistent claims that he had not been drinking.
On one occasion, an emergency room doctor misdiagnosed a psychiatric condition and she became certified under the Mental Health Act, meaning doctors could treat her against her will.
Autobrewery syndrome (ABS) causes carbohydrates in the stomach to ferment, which increases ethanol levels in the blood and produces signs of poisoning.
Alyssa Kelsch, 26, of Salt Lake City, Utah, was also diagnosed with the condition in 2018 after months of doctor appointments and visits to specialists. Pictured: The tattoo artist with glassy eyes during an episode of feeling ‘drunk’
Brewery syndrome is a condition that affects fewer than 100 people worldwide and causes microbes in the gut to spontaneously convert sugar into alcohol.
It is believed to be triggered by poor diet, antibiotics or other factors that cause a Predominance of yeasts and other microorganisms in the intestine that help create alcohol.
The substance is absorbed into the bloodstream, making a person “drunk” even if they have not been drinking.
Two years before she was diagnosed, the woman began to feel very sleepy during the day and would suddenly fall asleep while getting ready for work or making dinner, as reported in the Journal of the Canadian Medical Association.
He would drink a glass of wine while on vacation, but in recent years he had stopped drinking completely due to his religious beliefs.
The woman visited her family doctor several times due to excessive fatigue and also went to the emergency room with difficulty speaking, the smell of alcohol on her breath, and falls caused by drowsiness.
On his first visit to the emergency room, his alcohol level was 39 millimoles per liter (less than two is considered a normal level).
Doctors discharged her from the emergency room saying she was drunk, even though there were no reports of her drinking, which was corroborated by her family.
During subsequent visits, he had three separate evaluations by psychiatrists who provided addiction medicine-related care at the hospital.
On his seventh visit to the emergency room, a diagnosis of autobrewery syndrome was suggested.
She was referred to a dietitian, who put her on a low-carbohydrate diet, which relieved her symptoms.
A low-carbohydrate, sugar-free diet helps reduce the amount of yeast that builds up in the intestines that would be converted to alcohol in the stomach.
“Brewhouse syndrome carries important social, legal and medical consequences for patients and their loved ones,” Dr. Rahel Zewude of the University of Toronto said of the doctors who documented the woman’s case.
‘Our patient had multiple (emergency department) visits, was evaluated by internists and psychiatrists, and was certified under the Mental Health Act before receiving a diagnosis of autobrewery syndrome, reinforcing how knowledge of this syndrome is essential for clinical diagnosis and treatment. ‘
This is not the first time this strange disease has been documented in medical literature.
Alyssa Kelsch, 26, of Salt Lake City, Utah, was also diagnosed with the condition in 2018 after months of doctor appointments and visits to specialists.
He had “fruity breath,” his eyes were shiny, he laughed, and his speech was slurred.
The tattoo artist is now taking antifungal medication to help prevent food from making her drunk.
