Long COVID may be to blame for the worsening headaches, nausea, fatigue, and sweats that accompany hangovers, a recent study suggests. The peer-reviewed study by researchers at Stanford University concluded that SARS-CoV-2 infection could be related to increased alcohol sensitivity. The group at Stanford’s Post-Acute COVID-19 Syndrome Clinic studied four patients to determine whether their long-term COVID had any effect on them after alcohol consumption.
The patients were a 60-year-old man, a 40-year-old woman, a 49-year-old woman, and a 36-year-old woman, according to the study. The patients’ medical histories and alcohol consumption habits before and after COVID-19 infection were documented in the study.
The study highlighted that the patients, 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.
One patient, a 60-year-old man, reported experiencing chronic, daily headaches characterized by a squeezing sensation at the top and back of the head, typically worst at night, after recovering from acute COVID-19. The patient had a normal head CT and brain MRI. The three women involved in the study reported having more frequent headaches, flushing, grogginess, and overwhelming fatigue after consuming alcohol. One of the women mentioned that even small amounts of alcohol made her feel as if she had “alcohol poisoning.”
The study’s authors acknowledged that further research would be needed to cement their hypotheses, as a definitive causal link between long COVID and alcohol sensitivity cannot be established based on a limited case series. They also noted that alcohol sensitivity following viral infections in general has not been well characterized in the medical literature.
While questions remain regarding long COVID and increased alcohol sensitivity, this study sheds light on a potential connection that warrants further investigation to better understand the impact of long COVID on individuals’ alcohol tolerance and overall health.
