San Francisco Chronicle - (Sunday)
Bad hangovers may be linked to long COVID
Have your hangovers taken a turn for the worse? According to Stanford University researchers, there may be a connection between the severity of hangover symptoms and COVID-19.
A recent peer-reviewed study reveals that individuals experiencing longterm effects of a COVID-19 infection, commonly known as long COVID, might encounter more intense symptoms such as headaches, nausea, fatigue and sweats after consuming alcohol.
The investigation conducted at Stanford’s PostAcute COVID-19 Syndrome Clinic points to a potential link between SARS-CoV-2 infection and heightened sensitivity to alcohol.
“The patients highlighted in this report, despite varying demographics and health backgrounds, share a new-onset sensitivity to alcohol post-COVID-19 infection, triggering unprecedented symptoms at similar or lower alcohol consumption levels,” according to the study.
Long COVID is generally defined by persistent symptoms lasting more than three weeks after the initial onset of a COVID-19 infection.
One patient, a 49-yearold woman with a history of Type 1 diabetes, experienced COVID-19 symptoms for nearly a year and reported that after she recovered drinking a glass of wine made her feel immobilized. She likened her symptoms to a “bad hangover,” including a headache, grogginess and overwhelming fatigue the next day.
Another patient, a previously healthy 60-yearold man who regularly consumed alcohol, now suffers from debilitating issues after drinking.
“The patient experienced, chronic, daily, headaches characterized by a squeezing sensation at the top and back of the head,” the researchers wrote. “The patient had a normal head CT and brain MRI.”
A 40-year-old woman in the study, who experienced COVID-19 symptoms for three months, described feeling like she had “alcohol poisoning” and endured a three-day headache after consuming just one cocktail.
Similarly, a 36-year-old woman with a history of Raynaud’s syndrome experienced “flushing and headache” after social drinking, which had not been a problem before her long COVID experience.
All study subjects had received at least one vaccine dose.
While the Stanford researchers emphasized the need for more studies to provide conclusive evidence of the role of long COVID in alcohol sensitivity, they pointed to an abundance of anecdotal data supporting their hypothesis.
They noted that alcohol sensitivity following viral infections, though not extensively studied, is a common phenomenon observed in patients with chronic fatigue syndrome, a condition related to long COVID.
Alcohol intolerance happens when the body reacts negatively to drinking alcohol, usually because it struggles to process or break down alcohol properly. Symptoms of alcohol intolerance can vary and might include: Flushing Nausea Headaches Rapid heart rate Low blood pressure Congestion
Skin reactions Digestive issues Fatigue
The Stanford study concluded that individuals experiencing long COVID may develop new-onset alcohol reactions and sensitivity, possibly because of a weakened blood-brain barrier resulting from the combination of the virus and inflammation in the body. Under normal circumstances, the barrier acts as a protective filter that restricts substances from reaching the brain.
Another potential explanation they offer is that individuals with long COVID may experience an elevation of inflammatory molecules in their bloodstreams, contributing to increased hangovers.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that approximately 30% of people ever infected with COVID-19 have experienced persistent symptoms.
A previous U.K. study of 114 diagnosed long COVID patients found that twothirds had decreased their alcohol consumption due to exacerbated symptoms, such as fatigue, nausea and insomnia.
“It is not clear whether these alcohol reactions represent decreased tolerance threshold for alcohol, immune-mediated alcohol allergy to components in the alcohol drink, toxicity effects, or other sensitivity mechanisms,” according to the Stanford study, published in the journal Cureus.
For people dealing with alcohol sensitivity, the authors write that the current suggestions for managing it involve either not drinking, staying away from certain drinks or ingredients that might cause symptoms, or trying antihistamines to lessen the reaction’s severity.