Experts from Hyderabad have identified a 36-year-old businessman from Agra who has tested positive for alcohol allergy, meaning that whenever the person drinks alcohol, he is at risk of facing severe allergies
Published Date – Wed, 17 May 23 at 08:30am
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Hyderabad: Have you ever met someone who is allergic to alcohol? Yes, you read that right. People can experience severe allergic reactions immediately after consuming alcohol, also from a particular brand they prefer. Experts in Hyderabad may have detected for the first time in Telangana a 36-year-old businessman from Agra who tested positive for alcohol allergy, meaning whenever the person drank alcohol, he was at risk of Facing severe allergies.
A few months ago, after attending a party in Agra, the patient began to experience symptoms such as facial flushing, rashes all over the body, heaviness in the head and chest, dry cough, and dizziness. He was then rushed to the emergency room of a local private hospital where he was released in stable condition.
After several visits to different hospitals across India, the patient ended up at Aswini Allergy Center in Hyderabad, where he underwent an alcohol oral challenge test and tested positive for alcohol allergy. The process involves patients consuming suspicious amounts of alcohol in a medically supervised clinical setting the day after undergoing an allergy test.
“There may be more cases of undiagnosed alcohol allergies. Due to the lack of awareness of this condition, many people are unaware that alcohol does have the potential to trigger allergies,” said Dr. Vyakarnam Nageshwar, lead allergist at Aswini Allergy Centre.
Dr. Nageshwar and his team performed a modified allergen skin prick test for alcohol and 80 other common allergens. “Test results showed that the patient had high blood histamine levels and was highly sensitive to peanuts, masala antigens, chicken, lamb, house dust mites, and mosquitoes. He also had undiagnosed asthma and allergic urticaria because his computer Lung function tests (LFT) show changes in asthma,” he said.
The final report concluded that the patient was allergic to alcohol. Advise him to avoid alcohol brands to which he is allergic, to dilute the alcohol before drinking, and to avoid high-histamine foods and snacks while drinking. In addition to taking antihistamine tablets 30 minutes before drinking alcohol to reduce worsening symptoms, patients were advised to avoid brands of alcohol that come in packages with cork-tight lids.
