Flushing face with Alcohol consumptionsymptom of Hypo?

[flyingfool]

My wife sometimes gets very red faced or flushed when she drinks alcohol.  What is strange is that it does not happen ALL the time.  In fact it doesn't even happen consistently for some types of alcohol.

we know that she is allergic to sulfa drugs (like sulfa antibiotics) and thus it makes sense that she would have a reaction (and she does) when she drinks red wine which is known to have high sulfates.

But sometimes she will also get flushed from other alcohols as well.  But again it is not consistent.

I'm wondering if this is somehow related to her being Hypothyroid or some sort of thyroid related?

I'm further curious about Hashi's as from what I read Hashi's can swing between hypo and hyper and this may explain why it may happen sometimes and not other times.  (she also is sometimes hot and cold)  and her being only 41 I'm thinking it is not menopause...at least not yet.

is this flushing with consumption of alcohol unrelated to thyroid or is it a common symptom?

[redheadaussie]

Nothing, you can't change it, it is a kind of DNA gene.

[flyingfool]

OK so what does the quote below mean?

"Research has shown that a history of facial flushing when drinking is indicative of ALDH2 deficiency, "

What can a person do to raise ALDH2?

[redheadaussie]

From wikipedia

Alcohol flush reaction (colloquially referred to as Asian Flush, Asian Red or Asian Glow) is a condition in which the face and/or body experiences flushes or blotches, due to an accumulation of acetaldehyde. The acetaldehyde accumulation can be caused by a missense polymorphism that encodes the enzyme, acetaldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH2),[1] normally responsible for breaking down acetaldehyde, a product of the metabolism of alcohol.[2] The acetaldehyde accumulation can also be caused by a polymorphism in the gene encoding the ADH1B enzyme, increasing production of acetaldehyde by more rapid metabolism of alcohol.[3] Flushing, or blushing, is associated with the erythema (reddening caused by dilation of capillaries) of the face, neck, shoulder, and in some cases, the entire body after consumption of alcohol.

Research has shown that a history of facial flushing when drinking is indicative of ALDH2 deficiency, and that an ALDH2-deficient drinker who drinks 2 beers per day has 6 to 10 times the risk of developing esophageal cancer as a drinker not deficient in the enzyme.[4]

I get it badly, but it has nothing to do with a thyroid condition as you can see from the above.

[Barb135]

I was menopausal at 41 yrs old; like thyroid issues, menopause hits us all at different times, with varying severity.  I, too, had the flushing/red face, often even when not drinking alcohol..... hot flashes, which can occur with peri-menopause as well as menopause.

I'm currently both post-menopausal, Hashi's/hypo and STILL get flushing/red face whether or not I'm drinking alcohol.  

[goolarra]

I sometimes flush when I drink alcohol also.  It's very intermittent and seems to happen much more frequently when I am in a group as opposed to at home alone with my husband.  Maybe it's more than just the effect of the alcohol???

I'm also allergic to sulfa drugs, but, interestingly enough, red wine is my poison of choice in the winter when I don't really want a cold drink.  It doesn't bother me a bit.

Alcohol also dilates blood vessels (the cause of flushing).  Can you relate it to an empty stomach and how fast the alcohol is hitting the bloodstream?  I find that when this happens to me, the first sip is usually all it takes to make me flush.

I really don't think it has anything to do with Hashi's (which I also have).  

Peri-menopause often starts many years before true menopause.  However, the hot and cold symptoms could be due to Hashi's swings as well.