Underdiagnosed condition?
At the time of the case study’s publication in the summer of 2019, the patient had been asymptomatic for 18 months and had been able to resume a normal diet, but still checks his breath alcohol levels from time to time.
“Before this patient’s case, I went all through the literature and found only a few cases of ABS,” said Dr. Malik.
However, he added, after this case study was published 10 other patients contacted him with a similar history of antibiotic use and the same symptoms. This, said Dr. Malik, is “significant” and suggests ABS is much more common than previously thought.
The clinicians also note that to the best of their knowledge this is the first report of antibiotic exposure initiating ABS.
“What we tried to do was set up a protocol by which to identify these patients, confirm a diagnosis, and treat them for a sufficient amount of time,” said Dr. Wickremesinghe. “We also wanted to inform other physicians that this may function as a standardized way of treating these patients, and may promote further study,” added Dr. Malik, who emphasized that the role of probiotics in ABS still needs to be studied.
Dr. Malik and Dr. Wickremesinghe note that physicians should be aware that mood changes, brain fog, and delirium in patients who deny alcohol ingestion may be the first symptoms of ABS.
Dr. Wickremesinghe said since the case study was published he and Dr. Malik have received queries from all over the world. “It’s unbelievable the amount of interest we have had in the paper, so if we have made the medical community and the general population aware of this condition and how to treat it, we have done a major thing for medicine,” he said.
A version of this article first appeared on Medscape.com.