Country's first auto-brewery case successfully treated

GİRESUN

Türkiye’s very first case of "auto-brewery syndrome," a rare condition that causes an individual to become intoxicated without consuming alcohol, has been successfully treated.

Giving information about the condition seen for the first time in the country, Associate Professor Dr. Emel Uzunoğlu said that it is mostly left undiagnosed since most people are not familiar with the condition.

Stating that the symptoms start to be seen according to the level of alcohol in the body after an amount of carbs and sugar are consumed, Uzunoğlu said that auto-brewery syndrome is the body's self-production of alcohol.

“Although patients never drink alcohol, their blood alcohol levels rise to very high levels shortly after a meal. The reason for this is the microorganisms in their bodies. It is not a well-known disease in the world, and ours is the first case in our country. This disease can occur in people with diabetes, those who frequently use antibiotics without a prescription, or individuals who previously had intestinal operations."

Noting that the treatment methods for the patient seen for the first time in Türkiye gave positive results, Uzunoğlu stressed that they controlled the patient’s attacks with probiotics, proper nutrition and some drugs that can remove alcohol or intermediate molecules from the body. “Our patient is now returning home, but we will continue to follow up.”

The patient, 58-year-old Verda Güniz Atış Azrak, gave information to local media about the process she went through.

“The symptoms started about three years ago. It is not a condition that you can self-diagnose. Usually, the people around you realize that something is wrong with you. At times, I even experienced loss of consciousness. I used to fall, get injured and even had to get stitches, but would have no recollection of how any of them happened. I am fine after the treatment process; the symptoms are completely gone. I feel well,” she said.