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Definition
By Mayo Clinic staffAlcohol intolerance can cause immediate, unpleasant reactions after you consume alcohol. The most common symptoms caused by alcohol intolerance include nasal congestion and flushing skin. This condition is sometimes inaccurately referred to as an alcohol allergy. Alcohol intolerance is caused by a genetic condition in which the body is unable to break down alcohol. The only way to prevent alcohol intolerance is to avoid alcohol altogether.
In some cases, what may seem to be alcohol intolerance is caused by a reaction to something else in an alcoholic beverage — such as chemicals, grains or preservatives. In other cases, reactions are caused by combining alcohol with certain medications. Rarely, reactions to alcohol can be a sign of a serious underlying health problem that requires diagnosis and treatment.
- The buzz about wine and beer allergy. American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology. www.aaaai.org/patients/advocate/2006/winter/wineandbeer.asp. Accessed Jan. 20, 2010.
- Ehlers I. Ethanol as a cause of hypersensitivity reactions to alcoholic beverages. Clinical & Experimental Allergy. 2002;32:1235.
- Food allergy: An overview. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. http://www3.niaid.nih.gov/topics/foodAllergy/PDF/foodallergy.pdf. Accessed Jan. 20, 2010.
- Nowak-Wegrzyn A, et al. Adverse reactions to foods. Medical Clinics of North America. 2006;90:97.
- Mauch PM. Clinical presentation and patterns of disease distribution in Hodgkin lymphoma in adults. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Jan. 20, 2010.
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