In healthy people, the smell of urine is almost not felt, and only with a rather long standing does it have a sharp, specific ammonia smell. During some diseases accompanied by certain pathological processes, the chemical composition of this product of the excretion of the human body changes. It is these changes that lead to the appearance of “stinking” urine, although other factors leading to this are distinguished. So what else changes the smell of urine, the reasons for which may not cause much excitement? These reasons include the consumption (especially long-term) of a large number of certain foods, such as garlic, onions, spices, smoked meats, alcohol, beer. Other non-dangerous reasons that change the smell of urine include insufficient fluid intake. The above factors indicate that a person simply needs to change his diet. After adjusting the nutrition, the smell of urine usually returns to normal.
In the case when a person is sick and takes some potent drugs, changes in the smell of urine can also be observed, since many drugs are actively excreted through the genitourinary system. Usually, when you stop using drugs, the smell of urine normalizes.
If a person eats normally and does not consume drugs, and the strong smell of urine manifests itself more sharply, a complete diagnosis of the person is necessary, since the smell is considered one of the main indicators in the general analysis of urine. Recently, such odor changes are increasingly occurring even in the smallest children, so it is necessary to control the urination of your children and, if necessary, immediately seek medical advice.
Possible causes of odor changes include the following:
1. The most common case today is the occurrence of the smell of acetone, which appears when a person develops a disease such as ketonuria. In this case, ketone bodies are present in the urine (beta-hydroxybutyric acid, acetoacetic acid, acetone). This smell of urine can occur in diseases such as diabetes mellitus, infectious diseases, exhaustion, dehydration. Sometimes the urine of pregnant women smells of acetone.
2. A pungent smell of decay products occurs with infectious lesions caused by Escherichia coli. These include urethritis, pyelonephritis and cystitis.
H. The smell of sweat in urine can occur in diseases such as isovalerian acidemia and glutaric acidemia, which are referred to as hereditary fermentopathies.
4. Purulent odor can occur when purulent masses enter the urine if there are fistulas between the purulent cavity in the body and the urinary system.
5. Mouse odor occurs with phenylketonuria, which is a genetic disease accompanied by impaired metabolism of an amino acid such as phenylalanine.
6. The smell of rotten fish appears with trimethylaminuria, also related to genetic diseases.
7. Cabbage smell indicates impaired absorption of the amino acid methionine (malabsorption of methionine).
8. In some men, the stale smell of urine can be caused by prostate adenoma, which makes it difficult to urinate and stagnates urine in the bladder, where inflammation occurs.
9. In women, odor changes often occur with thrush, cystitis and other gynecological diseases.
There are several other causes that alter the smell of urine. This symptom often becomes a signal of the occurrence of serious diseases, therefore, with such changes, you should urgently seek medical advice. An accurate diagnosis will be established after all tests.