Sweating after consuming alcohol
August 16, 2010 | 10,00 EUR | answered by Dr. med. Olaf Stephan
Hello,
I have had the following problem for about half a year:
I rarely drink alcohol (1 time per month). Alcohol never used to bother me before. For the past six months, however, I have been experiencing intense sweating after just one glass of champagne, wine, etc., which lasts for about half an hour. This does not happen with non-alcoholic beer!
The strange thing is that my wife has also noticed the same phenomenon in herself. What could be the cause of this?
Dear Inquirer,
since you rarely consume alcohol, we can safely rule out an addiction syndrome (which is the main cause of sweating after alcohol consumption). Another explanation is that alcohol (especially in small amounts) has a vasodilating and circulatory stimulating effect, which can lead to sweating and facial flushing, among other things, so this would be a normal reaction. Each person also reacts somewhat differently to alcohol, and metabolism varies individually. Furthermore, many alcoholic beverages such as beer or wine contain sulfites, and sensitive individuals may react with skin rashes and sweating. This is not an allergy in the strict sense, but rather an intolerance reaction. A test with an allergist can determine whether you have such an intolerance, which is not uncommon in the general population. If the test is positive, you must strictly avoid all alcoholic beverages containing sulfites in the future.
Yours sincerely, O. Stephan.
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