After twice being apprehended for driving under the influence, a man from Bruges told the police that he has a condition called "auto-brewery syndrome". The man had driven into two lamps in 2022 and on Monday stood trial.
"I have not been drinking, my body produces alcohol itself," the 38-year-old told a sceptical judge. He had already been convicted of drink driving in 2020, Het Laaste Nieuws reports. His most recent brush with police saw him blow 2.0 on a breathalyser – four times the Belgian limit.
Despite this having the hallmarks of a tall story, the man's confusion was genuine and he swore that he "hadn't drunk anything at all and neither did the times that followed. So I went to my GP and specialists to ask if there could be another explanation."
It was after several studies that he discovered that he had auto-brewery syndrome – a rare medical condition in which ethanol is produced through fermentation by fungi in the gastrointestinal system. This means that the man's body had produced its own alcohol, which showed up on the breathalyzer when the police tested him.
"The specialist said that he had only known another such patient," said the man. "It is certainly not the case that I feel drunk or talk with a double tongue. I don't get it at all myself. I now have to follow a special diet in which I can no longer eat carbohydrates and certain sugars."
Related News
- Find a BOB: The weekend against drink-driving
- Police record lowest numbers of drink-drivers in winter campaign
Yet expert toxicologist Jan Tytgat remains sceptical as to whether the high quantity of alcohol in his system was entirely down to the man's condition. Tytgat suggests monitoring the man for a day, making him eat a substantial amount of sugary foods to see whether his body produces an alcohol level similar to that he tested at the police check.
The man's lawyer Anse Ghaesquiere claims that while he drove under the influence, it was against his will because he was unaware of his condition. The defendants are hopeful for an acquittal with his lawyer highlighting "a similar case in the Netherlands in which the man was acquitted. "
The condition is seldom diagnosed because it is so rare. Early signs of auto-brewery syndrome can include brain fog, delirium and mood changes.
