The human body never ceases to surprise us, and the latest piece of news from the world of medical science is proof. A woman in Pittsburg in the US has been diagnosed with a condition that causes her to urinate alcohol. The case was reported by doctors at the University of Pittsburg.
What makes it even more interesting is that the woman does not consume alcohol! It all started when she was awaiting a liver transplant, but her urine tests always came back positive for alcohol. The 61-year-old woman is suffering from liver cirrhosis and diabetes that was not under control. Though she denied drinking, doctors were initially unconvinced and recommended her for de-addiction treatment. She was also taken off the list for the liver transplant. However, her behaviour was sober and her blood tests showed no trace of alcohol. After further tests, doctors have reported this was happening because microbes in the woman's bladder was fermenting alcohol, according to Live Science.
The condition is similar to a rare disorder known as 'auto-brewery syndrome'. In the auto-brewery syndrome, Live Science reported, microbes in the gastrointestinal tract convert carbohydrates to alcohol. But this is probably the first case of such fermentation happening in the bladder and that has left doctors perplexed. So, the doctors have named the woman's condition 'urinary auto-brewery syndrome', in which a variety of yeast, commonly found in the gut, is fermenting ethanol in her bladder. Since the process is happening only in the bladder, the alcohol is present only in the urine, and not the bloodstream.
The doctors also published the case findings in a report in the journal Annals of Internal Medicine. With the doctors convinced that she does not have a drinking problem, she has been reconsidered for the transplant.
