The analysis of waste products helps the specialist to learn a lot about the he alth of the patient. But even an ordinary person, by some of their external characteristics, can determine that adverse changes are observed in his condition. Why does urine smell so strong? We suggest you deal with this problem. Find out what are the possible causes of an unpleasant, sharp, atypical smell of urine in an adult, child and your pet.
When everything is normal
Before we figure out why urine smells bad, consider the normal situation for a person. Urine in this case differs as follows:
- liquid is transparent, has a characteristic yellowish or straw color;
- freshly collected urine should smell almost nothing;
- if the liquid stays in an open container for a long time, then under the influence of air, fermentation will begin in its mass, from this urine will acquirestrong ammonia smell.
The process of removing urine from the body
Let's also consider in general terms the process of urine excretion in a he althy person.
- The fluid that removes waste products from the body travels a long way - through the kidneys, ureters, bladder and urethra.
- Urine accumulates in the bladder - a muscle bag, whose volume is about 300-600 ml. As it accumulates, it is excreted by the body.
- The exit of fluid passes through the urethra (urethra).
So why does urine smell so bad? The most common reason is in one of the organs that we have listed above, some problems in their work. But other things can provoke an unpleasant smell.
Certain food
Why does urine smell - strong, sharp, unpleasant? The reason may lie in your recent lunch or dinner.
- Spices (particularly garlic) that give off a strong flavor. These seasonings can also add a distinctive flavor to urine.
- Seafood. Especially if you ate them in large quantities. The statement applies most of all to mussels - both fresh and pickled.
- The most common "food" cause of strong urine odor is asparagus. In whatever form you use this plant, it will cause a sharp unpleasant smell of discharge. However, this kind of disadvantage can be easily eliminated - before eating, add a little sea s alt to the dish with asparagus.
System malfunctionsBodies
Why does human urine smell so strongly? As we discussed above, this may be due to a systemic disruption of the organs. Especially those systems through which urine passes.
The most common causes are such diseases:
- Pyelonephritis - inflammatory processes in the kidneys. It can be both primary (the disease affects he althy kidneys) and secondary (pyelonephritis is a consequence of another kidney disease). A change in the smell of urine here will not be the only sign. The patient will complain of sharp, nagging pain in the lower back. The disease is serious enough - you need to seek help from a doctor as soon as possible!
- Cystitis is an inflammation of the bladder. The disease can be both infectious and non-infectious in nature. The mucous membrane of the muscle sac becomes inflamed, which leads to disruption of its work - the patient's urine will become cloudy, having a sediment. An unpleasant ammonia smell will also be felt from freshly collected urine. Sometimes there is a "drug" cystitis - the disease is caused by long-term use of large doses of drugs that irritate the bladder mucosa. In particular, these are "Urotropin", "Phenacetin". Urine at the same time will have a sharp "pharmacy", "hospital" smell.
- Urethritis is an inflammation of the walls of the urethra (urethra). A disease of a bacteriological, viral nature. In addition to the pungent smell of urine, the patient will notice noticeable pain during urination, purulent, bloody inclusions in the urine. Moreover, the smell in this diseaseappears as the very first of all symptoms.
- UTI (urinary tract infection). Due to the anatomical proximity of the location of organs, the diseases of these systems are interrelated in some cases. Vaginosis, chlamydia, bacterial vaginosis are the causes of a sharp unpleasant odor in urine. The collected urine here will also be cloudy to the light.
For men and women
The characteristic putrid smell of urine can speak about diseases of the genital area. This is a cause for concern for both women and men. This means that inflammatory foci surrounded by suppuration have formed somewhere in the genitourinary system. Maybe this can also be said about rectal fistulas - rectal, vesical fistulas.
Sharp odor of urine in men is one of the symptoms of prostatitis (inflammation of the prostate gland). The patient also notes pain in the perineum, sexual dysfunction, difficulty urinating.
If a woman, especially after a recent intercourse, diagnoses urine with an unpleasant odor, this may be evidence of a sexually transmitted infection in the body, an imbalance in the microflora of the vagina. For the same reason, some women note this symptom after childbirth.
Medications
Why does urine smell so strong? The reason may lie in the intake of certain medications. Such a side effect is most often immediately indicated in the instructions for the drug.
Among the common medicines and preventive agents,The following causes bad smell in urine:
- "Amoxicillin";
- "Trovan";
- "Omnipen";
- "Ampicillin";
- "Proloprim";
- "Ciprofloxacin";
- vitamin B complex.
Dehydration
Why is urine smelly? A pronounced ammonia smell of urine is a rather alarming sign. It may indicate total dehydration of the body! The reason is that water imbalance makes the urine more concentrated than usual.
Dehydration is not always a critical condition or a serious illness. It can overtake a perfectly he althy person. If we, carried away by work or other employment (and even more so physical), on a hot and stuffy day, we forget to drink the right amount of water. Recall that the minimum norm for a person per day is 1.5 liters.
Fasting
The consequence of starvation is acidosis with all the sad consequences that follow from it. The human body needs a certain amount of carbohydrates every day. With their shortage, the deficiency begins to be compensated from the preliminary reserves of fatty acids.
Hypoglycemia develops (insufficient blood glucose). The blood mass becomes acidic, which leads to acidosis. As a result, ketone bodies are excreted in the urine. They will give the urine a strong smell of acetone.
Other diseases
Why does urine have a strong smell? Reason alsomay be in diseases that are not related, at first glance, to the urinary tract:
- Diabetes. A symptom of diabetes is dehydration, which leads to the smell of urine. If the form of the disease is severe enough, then a sweet smell comes from the urine, reminiscent of something apple. This indicates an increased content of ketone bodies. The most dangerous signal is when the urine of a diabetic begins to characteristically give off acetone. Here the level of ketone bodies went beyond the limiting norm, and acidosis began in the body. If in this case emergency measures are not taken, then the patient may be overtaken by a diabetic coma.
- Liver failure. Serious disorders affecting the functions of the organ that can occur with acute viral hepatitis, toxic, alcoholic, drug and other lesions. The efficiency of the liver system is also reflected in urine. With the so-called jaundice, urine has an atypical thick odor, becomes the color of dark beer or even a brown, greenish tint.
- Leucinosis. Another name is maple syrup disease. This is a hereditary pathology that is characterized by a metabolic disorder in the body of amino acids - valine, leucine, isoleucine. The second name of the disease was given precisely by the characteristic of urine. Urine begins to give a shade, something reminiscent of the smell of maple syrup. It is caused by the presence in the urine of a substance that appears from leucine.
- Trimethylaminuria. A rather rare disease, which is characterized by a "fishy" smell of urine. What is the reason? In the bodya person accumulates the substance trimethylamine, which is characterized by the shade of rotten fish.
- Phenylketonuria. The urine here will have a "mouse" smell. A genetic disease in which a person has difficulty exchanging phenylalanine (one of the amino acids) in the body. The concentration of a substance in the urine and gives a characteristic odor.
Metabolism
All other dysfunctions of this kind will be characterized by the appearance of an unpleasant smell of urine:
- sweat;
- rotten cabbage;
- sulphur;
- mold;
- sour beer and stuff.
Any of these examples is a reason to see a specialist.
Why is my baby's urine smelly?
Let's take a look at children separately:
- Only in newborns, urine will be odorless. As you get older, your urine will take on the characteristics of adult urine.
- Unpleasant smell of urine in babies is one of the signs that the child has a genetic disease.
- Say, why does a 5-year-old boy's urine smell strongly? This may indicate a genitourinary disease in the child.
- Urine acquires a pungent odor in children with high temperature and dehydration (often these factors are related). In such cases, it becomes more concentrated. This is what will cause the smell. Try to give your baby as much liquid as possible.
- If a baby is breastfed, the smell of his urine often reflects what the mother ate. We have already discussed which foods give urine a strong odor.
Even if the reason seems too banal to you, it will not be superfluous to go with your child to a consultation with a pediatrician.
Why does a cat have smelly urine?
In conclusion, about our smaller brothers. Reasons why a cat has smelly urine:
- Like a human, the strong smell of ammonia from urine will indicate dehydration.
- The animal has entered puberty and hunting. The smell is caused by increased activity of the gonads.
- The cat's diet is wrong. The reason is protein imbalance.
- Urogenital disease. Here everything repeats the human situation.
- Hormonal diseases, cancer. An alarming sign is a putrid smell. Often he alone can talk about a serious pathology.
- Strong stress. The pungent smell in this case is a failure in metabolic processes.
If an unusual smell appears for no apparent reason, does not go away within 2 weeks - this is a reason to take the animal to the veterinarian.
So we figured out all the reasons for the strong smell of urine. Even if some of them are harmless, it is still reason enough to see a doctor.
