Teetotal woman diagnosed with rare condition that makes her drunk

Being permanently drunk proved to be a real-life nightmare for one woman, who was diagnosed with "auto-brewery syndrome" despite being teetotal.

It sounds bizarre, but the incredibly rare condition, which has been reported less than 100 times since it was first discovered, sees microbes in the stomach essentially producing their own alcohol.

A new study published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal looked into the case of an unknown woman who had made seven trips to the emergency room with symptoms including slurred speech and excessive sleepiness in the space of just two years.

The woman even had alcohol on her breath when assessed by medical staff, despite the fact that she did not drink for religious reasons.

As it turns out, the woman had the auto-brewery syndrome, which comes as a result of fungi growing in her stomach.

The fungi was able to work in this way because of a round of heavy antibiotics for a previous condition that removed helpful bacteria from her gut, allowing them to flourish.

Fungi was able to form in her stomach, which in turn began fermenting the sugar in the carbohydrates ingested by the woman and in turn producing alcohol.

The case baffled health experts, until she was put on a series of antifungal medication and put on a low-carb diet in order to try and tackle the symptoms. The symptoms were managed in this way, but when the carb intake was raised, they returned once again.

Writing in the case report, the doctors said: "Auto-brewery syndrome carries substantial social, legal, and medical consequences for patients and their loved ones.

“Our patient had several ED 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."

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