Mans drunk driving charges dropped after docs discover his rare condition

Talk about a Belgian ale-ment. A 40-year-old Belgian man who was accused of drunk driving had his charges dropped — because he has a medical condition that makes him produce alcohol naturally. The man, who has not been publicly identified, suffers from something called auto-brewery syndrome, AFP reported. Auto-brewery syndrome, also called gut fermentation syndrome, is a rare condition in which an overgrowth of fungi in the gut turns carbs and sugars into alcohol, Medical News Today explained.Only 20 people in the world have been diagnosed with the condition, but doctors suspect that the condition is underdiagnosed.

 When the stomach is fermented from this condition it can increase ethanol levels in the blood and give a person symptoms of intoxication — which is exactly what happened in the case of lawyer Anse Ghesquire’s client.She said that her client was tested for ABS by three doctors who were able to provide evidence of the condition.The court later acquitted him.

The lawyer said she and her client were waiting for a formal acquittal notification. The man first appeared in court in April 2022 after cops pulled over his vehicle twice.The first time they pulled over his car, the breathalyzer gave him a reading of .91 milligrams of alcohol per liter.

The second time they pulled him over he had a breathalyzer of .71 milligrams.He was over the legal limit in Belgium which is .22 milligrams.This isn’t the first time the man was falsely accused of drinking and driving.

In 2019, the man’s license was suspended and he was fined even though he told people he hadn’t been drinking.The man only became aware of his medical condition recently. This man’s story isn’t too unlike that of Mark Mongiardo, of Estero, Florida, who lost his teaching job because his coworkers complained he reeked of alcohol.He was also charged with drunk driving in 2018 despite not drinking before going behind the wheel.

He was later diagnosed with ABS....