Evidence map›Paper›PMID 31423320›Full record

ArticleBMJ open gastroenterology2019

Case report and literature review of auto-brewery syndrome: probably an underdiagnosed medical condition.

Fahad Malik, Prasanna Wickremesinghe, Jessie Saverimuttu

Open access · goldAbstract readCase Reports
In one paragraph

Article in BMJ open gastroenterology, 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 26 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
26citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
2.2field-weighted citation impact, top 11% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

26 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 64 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Gut fermentation syndrome: A systematic review of case reports.United European gastroenterology journal · 2021
    Pooled it
  2. Article
  3. Observational
  4. Gut microbes reports · 2026
    Article
  5. Review
  6. Review
  7. Review
  8. Review
  9. CMAJ : Canadian Medical Association journal = journal de l'Association medicale canadienne · 2024
    Article
  10. Endogenous ethanol production in health and disease.Nature reviews. Gastroenterology & hepatology · 2024
    Review
  11. Auto-brewery syndrome in a 50-year-old woman.CMAJ : Canadian Medical Association journal = journal de l'Association medicale canadienne · 2024
    Article
  12. Auto-Brewery Syndrome After COVID-19 Infection.ACG case reports journal · 2024
    Article
  13. Review
  14. Review
  15. Review
  16. Article
  17. Xenobiotic-Induced Aggravation of Metabolic-Associated Fatty Liver Disease.International journal of molecular sciences · 2022
    Review
  18. Review
  19. Review
  20. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

3 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.

Fahad MalikInternal Medicine, Richmond University Medical Center, Staten Island, New York, USA.ORCID 0000-0002-0956-5708
Prasanna WickremesingheInternal Medicine, Richmond University Medical Center, Staten Island, New York, USA.
Jessie SaverimuttuInternal Medicine, Richmond University Medical Center, Staten Island, New York, USA.
Richmond University Medical Center · US

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Auto-brewery syndrome (ABS), also known as gut fermentation syndrome, is a rarely diagnosed medical condition in which the ingestion of carbohydrates results in endogenous alcohol production. The patient in this case report had fungal yeast forms in the upper small bowel and cecum, which likely fermented carbohydrates to alcohol. Treatment with antifungal agents allowed subsequent ingestion of carbohydrates without symptoms. He had been exposed to a prolonged course of antibiotics before this occurred. We postulate that the antibiotic altered his gut microbiome, allowing fungal growth. This diagnosis should be considered in any patient with positive manifestations of alcohol toxicity who denies alcohol ingestion. The aim of this case report was confirmation and treatment of ABS using a standardised carbohydrate challenge test followed by upper and lower endoscopy to obtain intestinal secretions to detect fungal growth. These fungi were speciated and antifungal sensitivity performed. This allowed the use of appropriate therapy. The patient was kept on a carbohydrate-free diet during the initial 6-week period of therapy. A single-strain probiotic for competitive inhibition of fungal growth was given to the patient. This probiotic was later replaced by a multistrain bacterial probiotic hoping that the multiple bacteria would inhibit fungi better than a single-strain. The beneficial role of probiotics in this condition has not been studied. The patient was rechallenged for endogenous alcohol production prior to reintroducing carbohydrates in his diet.

Indexed as

alcoholantibioticsintestinal microfloraprobiotics

Identifiers

PMID31423320
PMCPMC6688673
OpenAlexW2965317555

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.