Due to a rare illness, a 15-year-old girl from the English city of Bolton, Greater Manchester, seemed drunk. This is reported by the Daily Mail. Erin Orlopp was constantly dizzy and had a headache. She became clumsy, staggered when walking and could not walk in a straight line. “She acted almost like a drunk,” her mother says. In addition, the girl developed vision problems, her cheek was swollen and her jaw and neck hurt.
After examination, she was diagnosed with Arnold-Chiari malformation - a pathology in which the lower part of the brain descends into the opening at the base of the skull through which the spinal cord passes. “Basically, the reason is that my brain was falling through the bottom of my skull and pressing against the spinal cord, interfering with the flow of cerebrospinal fluid,” explains Erin.
She needed surgery, during which the lower part of the skull was removed, which relieved the pressure on the spinal cord. Despite this, the girl continues to suffer from basilar intussusception, a condition in which the second cervical vertebra rises up and is embedded in the skull. Doctors believe that Erin will need a new operation over time. In 2018, it was reported that due to the Arnold-Chiari malformation, a resident of the British city of Kingston upon Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire, experienced sensations resembling alcohol intoxication for several years.