Woman has "Auto-Brewery Syndrome" -pee is alcohol

[Guest UnabashedUser]

https://www.msn.com/en-us/health/medical/an-unusual-form-of-auto-brewery-syndrome-caused-this-woman-to-pee-alcohol/ar-BB10qCztc

Now and then a bizarre case study comes along that reminds us how unbelievable—and unpredictable—the human body can be. The latest was published online in the Annals of Internal Medicine on February 25, and it’s about a woman who pees alcohol.

Yes, that’s right—she pees alcohol. But she’s not an alcoholic, although it took doctors a while to believe that. Two teams of medical experts believed the unidentified 61-year-old was hiding an addiction from them when all her urine tests for alcohol came back positive. She was also suffering from cirrhosis, a liver condition associated with alcohol abuse, and was on the waiting list for a liver transplant. 

But after specialists from the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center got involved, the woman was finally diagnosed with bladder fermentation syndrome, also called urinary auto-brewery syndrome. It’s so rare that she’s the first person in the world to have been diagnosed with it. 

After numerous tests, docs realized that the woman had high levels of Candida glabrata in her bladder. This is a yeast produced naturally by the body, and it’s similar to Saccharomyces cerevisiae, a fungus known as brewer's yeast because beer makers use it to convert carbohydrates in grains into alcohol. 

The same type of conversion process was taking place inside the patient’s bladder when she ate foods containing sugar, and it was taking its toll on her liver, which had to try and get rid of the yeast. 

There have been a few reported cases of auto-brewery syndrome (ABS) in the past, but not involving the liver. In ABS, ingesting sugar causes yeast to accumulate in the gut and makes sufferers feel intoxicated and unable to perform simple tasks. 

[PissingBlonde 886]

This would totally suck - I don't drink very often but when I do I like to choose when and where!

Good for others who want to get drunk off her pee though, if she was willing...

[speedy3471 10,627]

O wow what a bizarre medical condition. I enjoy beer but not getting drunk every night hahahaah