A 26-year-old man from France, suffering from severe alcohol addiction, resorted to drinking hand sanitisers to satisfy his cravings. This led to a series of events that landed him at the local emergency room.

What went down

The unnamed patient visited the Emergency Room (ER) with complaints of severe abdominal pain. It was later revealed that his true motive was to have access to the high-alcohol-content sanitiser in the hospital.

Upon arrival, the young man appeared troubled and was described by medical professionals as “sometimes verbally aggressive.” Despite saying he was in pain, the examination conducted on him showed normal abdominal results. Although his general hygiene was noted as poor, and his heart rate was slightly higher than normal. He was given IV medications, including morphine, but he continued to complain.

Further tests were conducted, including an abdominal scan, but it failed to uncover the cause of his pain.

How his sanitiser consumption was discovered

The patient’s roommate confided in a nurse that the man had been consuming hand sanitiser, hiding bottles in his bag and drinking them throughout his stay.

Hospital staff discovered seven 16-ounce bottles of hand sanitizer in his possession, with evidence that about one and a half had been consumed in a span of four to six hours.

Subsequently, a blood test showed that the patient’s blood alcohol level was 0.2 percent, more than twice the legal driving limit. Given that the hand sanitizer contained 80 percent alcohol, the amount he ingested was equivalent to consuming 24 standard alcoholic drinks.

The patient admitted to faking his symptoms to gain access to the sanitiser due to his severe alcohol withdrawal.

More examinations revealed the patient had a fatty liver, indicative of alcohol use disorder, and slightly elevated liver enzymes. These are clear signs of liver damage or inflammation.

This case was reported by the American Journal of Case Reports.