The mother would have to sign off work for two weeks when hit by an episode and reported to hospital with extreme tiredness and slurred speech seven times over two years before being diagnosed.
A woman who was told she was simply drunk on the multiple occasions she showed up at hospital with slurred speech and extreme tiredness has been diagnosed with auto-brewery syndrome.
The 50-year-old visited hospital seven times, only to be discharged with a diagnosis of being drunk – despite saying she had not been drinking – before she was correctly diagnosed with the condition.
Auto-brewery syndrome is a condition which sees fungi in the gut create alcohol through fermentation.
In April, a 40-year-old Belgian man was cleared of drink-driving after doctors diagnosed him with the extremely rare condition.
Those with the condition can have symptoms identical to being drunk, including slurred speech, stumbling, loss of motor functions, dizziness and belching.
Sufferers are not born with the condition and its trigger can vary, from prolonged antibiotic use to diets high in carbohydrates, according to scientists.
Researchers say awareness of this syndrome – which has social, legal, and medical consequences – is essential for proper diagnosis and management.
Over two years, the female patient visited the emergency department complaining of extreme daytime sleepiness and slurred speech.
She had been on several antibiotic courses for recurrent urinary tract infections alongside a proton pump inhibitor to reduce the amount of acid in her stomach.
Despite not drinking alcohol, the woman also had elevated blood alcohol levels and alcohol on her breath.
She would therefore be sent home with a diagnosis of alcohol intoxication every time she would report to hospital with her symptoms.