Auto-Brewery Syndrome: A disease that makes you drunk without drinking
Here's a rare ailment with less than 100 cases registered worldwide. Auto-brewery syndrome, which is also known as gut fermentation syndrome or endogenous ethanol fermentation is a medical condition that leaves the patient intoxicated without even drinking alcohol! Also sometimes called "drunkenness disease," surprisingly, most patients with this disorder have been arrested as they were thought to be drinking and driving!
Here's what our expert says
- Alcohol is formed when sugars are fermented by yeasts which are a type of fungus.
- Auto Brewery syndrome is seen in people who have Saccharomyces cerevisiae yeast fungi as inhabitants of the gut.
- The sugars ingested by the patient get converted into alcohol in the intestine and it is absorbed into the bloodstream to give the same effects as drinking an alcoholic beverage.
Let's take a deeper look at this rare health condition
Auto-brewery syndrome happens when your body turns food rich in sugar and starch into alcohol (or ethanol) inside your system, leaving you drunk. It is largely difficult to diagnose and is a complication of another ailment or reaction in the body. For most patients, it can trigger other medical conditions like irritable bowel syndrome, anxiety disorders, and chronic fatigue syndrome.
What are the leading causes of this illness?
Health experts have only been able to tap into one cause that triggers this condition - the excessive presence of yeast in one's gut or intestines. For the uninitiated, yeast is a form of fungus and in this condition, it can be present in your body as candida albicans, candida glabrata, torulopsis glabrata, candida krusei, candida kefyr, or saccharomyces cerevisiae.
Some signs and symptoms a patient may experience
A person with this syndrome may feel as though they are sloshed. They may experience an out-of-control hangover even after only drinking a small amount of alcohol, say two bottles of beer! With that said, they may suffer from the general symptoms of a hangover including headache, dizziness, nausea, mood swings, dry mouth, dehydration, difficulty in concentration, disorientation, anxiety, and fatigue.
Who can develop this syndrome?
Right from children to adults, anyone can suffer from this rare medical condition. Factually, no one is born with this illness but can eventually fall sick to other diseases that can lead to it. Crohn's disease, liver problems, short bowel syndrome, etc. are some ailments that can trigger auto-brewery syndrome. Additionally, low immunity, diabetes, and poor nutrition can also be the base.
How can one treat auto-brewery syndrome?
Fortunately, this health condition can be treated as your doctor may recommend low to no consumption of carbs, sugar, or alcohol. You may also be given some antifungal medicines to reduce the fungus in your gut. More than drugs, you may have to bring in a lot of drastic lifestyle changes to break free from this disease.
