Ask a doctor on the topic of Internal medicine

Flash after alcohol

January 2, 2015 | 15,00 EUR | answered by Dr. med. Ralf Berg

Hello everyone,

It all started in September:

After eating, it felt like there was air accumulating in my intestines, specifically on the left side/above the hip in the intestines.

My general practitioner then examined me. An ultrasound of the abdomen was done. Everything was okay, except for the liver: a bit too fatty due to my excess weight (1.81 m, 105 kg).

Additionally, after just two sips of alcohol, my face turned bright red (which I had never experienced before).

The doctor recommended a few weeks of light diet for me. I followed this advice (only legumes, etc.). Afterwards, I no longer had a bloated stomach.

However, the alcohol problem persisted: My face glows red after consuming even a small amount of alcohol.

What could this be? (Histamine? I can tolerate tomatoes, pineapples, cheese, etc. in large quantities without any problems).

I also remembered that for about 4 years now, I have had diarrhea after eating fatty foods. Not always, but quite often.

Can you give me an assessment? My blood test results from mid-December 2014 showed:

Serum GPT at 51.2
Triglycerides: 448
Uric acid: 7.5

I am 24 years old (male),
180 cm and 104 kg.

Is there a connection with the liver? Or should I undergo further examination? (On the internet, you read the wildest things -> neuroendocrine tumor of the midgut and so on).

I would be very grateful for an honest answer, as my doctor just comforted me by saying: Just wait.

P.S: I have never consumed a lot of alcohol. And when I did, I could always handle it well. Without any problems.

Dr. med. Ralf Berg

Good day,

difficult question. Because although you have provided a lot of information, you only mention drinking alcohol.

I assume that you also prefer alcohol in the form of beer, wine, spirits, champagne, etc.

Explanation 1: If you react with flushing to all forms, you probably love ethanol directly, which is the usual alcohol in all respective drinks. This has a direct vasodilating effect. If you sensitize to it, unfortunately, people around you can always immediately tell if you have indulged in alcoholic drinks again. This is not uncommon among "chronic" drinkers. I estimate that up to a third of people who engage in excessive consumption struggle with this phenomenon. There is no therapy because there is no specific effect of ethanol.

Explanation 2: If it is wine, besides histamine, many other substances are also possible triggers. Some may react to sulfite compounds, which can also manifest as flushing.

Your fatty liver, weight, or accelerated intestinal passage after fatty foods have nothing to do with all of this.

You could try an allergy test for food and pollen to see if your body is generally in an "allergic" state.

The most promising approach would be to avoid all alcoholic beverages for 2-3 months and hope that the immune system will calm down again if it has sensitized to another substance than ethanol.

And as mentioned, if your receptors on the vessel walls have become "tuned in" to ethanol, this reaction will likely be difficult to prevent.

With best regards, R. Berg