A distressed mum who visited A&E seven times complaining of concerning symptoms was turned away after doctors assumed she was drunk, only to eventually discover she had a rare disorder where her body produces its own alcohol.
The anonymous patient, 50, visited the hospital multiple times over two years experiencing extreme tiredness and slurred speech. She had just finished a series of antibiotic courses and was given a proton pump to reduce the concentration of acid in her stomach.
Disbelieving doctors initially dismissed the woman after discovering she had elevated blood alcohol levels and detecting the scent of booze on her breath. She was sent home with a diagnosis of alcohol intoxication despite multiple return trips to A&E.
The problem kept happening but doctors continued to deny she had a medical condition, even going as far as to certify her under the Mental Health Act when she reported feeling unwell again.
They didn't consider the one-in-a-million disease with which she was ultimately diagnosed until her seventh visit to the emergency room. An emergency doctor suggested she may have auto-brewery syndrome - a disease only ever officially recorded 20 times that sees gut bacteria ferment alcohol.
Brit 'saw her insides' after being cut open by propeller on luxury diving tripThe few people - roughly one in 405 million - who suffer from the condition experience symptoms commonly associated with drunkenness, including vomiting, chronic fatigue syndrome, dizziness, loss of coordination, disorientation, and irritable bowels. She was released with medication and advised by a dietician to follow a low-carbohydrate diet, and eventually managed to beat the symptoms with antifungal pills.
Despite a relapse and fall, her diet managed to keep her symptom-free for months, but the case has led doctors to highlight the potential consequences of auto-brewery syndrome. Dr Rahel Zewude, an Infectious Diseases fellow at the University of Toronto, said awareness of the condition is "essential" for diagnosticians.
Writing in the Canadian Medical Association Journal, she said: "Auto-brewery syndrome carries substantial social, legal, and medical consequences for patients and their loved ones. 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."