The smell of urine, according to the norm, should not be perceptible. Under the influence of e.g. diet, medications or hormonal changes, its smell may change. When the intense, pungent odor of urine output persists for a long time, you should check whether the body is struggling with urinary tract infection or metabolic disorders. What disease can an unusual smell of urine mean?

The smell of urine , according to the standard, should not be perceptible, although in practice fresh urine has a characteristic, slightly acidic smell. However, under the influence of many factors, mainly diet, medications and hormones, its smell may change temporarily, which does not necessarily mean a he alth problem.

This happens, for example, after eating asparagus, horseradish or garlic.

However, any change in the smell and appearance of urine may result in a significant urinary system disease (most often inflammation), and the correct procedure is based on a medical consultation.

What can the unusual smell of urine mean?

The most common long-lastingunpleasant urine odorindicates inflammation of the urinary system or metabolic disorders.

  • ammonia smellmay indicate urinary tract infections (e.g. cystitis) and kidney problems. In the case of bacterial infections, the pH of the urine changes from acidic to alkaline. And from alkaline urine, magnesium ammonium phosphate precipitates, which is responsible for the characteristic smell of ammonia;
  • the smell of acetone(the smell of sour apples) is evidence of diabetic ketoacidosis. Ketone bodies appear in the urine (the main representative of which is acetone) and cause metabolic acidosis, i.e. a state of acid-base imbalance in the body;
  • musty smellindicates diseases of the liver or pancreas;
  • fruit smellindicates hyperglycemia, i.e. too high blood sugar. The high concentration of sugar in the urine is responsible for the smell reminiscent of ripe fruit;
  • fishy odorof urine may indicate trimethylaminuria, i.e. the fish odor syndrome. It is a rare metabolic disorder that causes a deficiency of FMO3, an enzyme involved in the conversion of trimethylamine.which is e.g. in fish;
  • mousy smellmay indicate phenylketonuria. Phenylketonuria is a genetic metabolic disease in which the body accumulates in excess of one of the essential amino acids - phenylalanine. Too high level of phenylalanine in the blood leads to the gradual destruction of the nervous system.
  • the smell of maple syrupor burnt sugar indicates maple syrup disease (MUSD). It is another, after phenylketonuria, genetically determined metabolic disease of the nervous system, which consists in the accumulation of, inter alia, in the blood and urine of alpha-keto acids and amino acids such as: leucine, isoleucine, valine. The disease is diagnosed within 1 week of birth.

What does the bad smell of urine mean in pregnancy?

Pregnant women are more odor-conscious, so they can smell their own urine more intensely, even though the smell has not actually changed. However, the most common cause of unpleasant-smelling urine in pregnancy is its thickening. Remember that you have to drink for two during pregnancy, so all you need to do is drink more fluids than usual. This way you will dilute the urine and thus reduce its intense odor.

Category:

Urology and Nephrology