Normally, the smell of urine is not sharp, weakly expressed, not disgusting. The color can vary from light straw to amber. An integral part is complete transparency, absence of impurities and sediment. Change in the smell of urine can be due to consumed products, diseases of various etiologies or other pathological processes occurring in the body.
Sour odor of urine
On the analysis of urine it is possible to judge the state of the whole organism. Most of the pathological processes are reflected in it, since the kidneys are one of the filters in our body, which purifies the blood and removes unnecessary products of metabolism into the environment together with urine( urine).
A sharp unpleasant odor of urine indicates the pathological processes in the body. Often this indicates inflammatory diseases of the urinary canal, kidney pathologies, fungal infection of the genitourinary system, or problems with digestion.
In addition to common diseases, urine can acquire an acidic odor with more specific diseases:
- phenylketonuria;
- trimethylaminuria;
- diabetes mellitus( in the early stages);
- venereal diseases( gonorrhea, chlamydia).
Men normally have a sharper, characteristic smell of urine. But in the separation and disposal of attention on it, as a rule, is not sharpened.
Women, unlike men, have a shorter urethral canal, which suggests that women are several times more likely than men to suffer bacterial( from the rectum) or fungal( from the vagina) lesions of the urethra and bladder. This is considered a fairly common cause of the appearance of a specific odor of urine.
Some food products are also able to change the color and smell of urine even in healthy people. A fairly common complaint is the change in odor after consuming sharply smelling products( onions, horseradish, garlic).
It is possible that a person has noticed a change in odor, but can not pinpoint what kind of aroma has appeared: ammonia or rotten fish, the smell of a pharmacy or mustiness, acetone or rotting apples. These are important points in the diagnosis of the disease, able to tell the treating doctor, what exactly is worth paying attention in the first place. Therefore, it is recommended to contact a specialist immediately. Clinical analysis of urine is a standard procedure, but by making it in time you can get rid of serious complications of latent disease.
Reasons for
In renal pathologies urine has a rather specific color, impurities of foreign substances can be observed, even the odor changes, but it is rarely described as" sour ".With glomerulonephritis( inflammation of the kidneys, accompanied by damage to the filter apparatus), the smell of urine comes from the entire body, and the urine itself becomes the color of meat slops. In this case, the smell is also more meaty than sour.
Pyelonephritis affects the structure of the kidney, virtually without affecting the filtration capacity. If the cause is inflammation of the bacteria, the urine can become sourly smelling. In addition, there is a characteristic turbidity, precipitate may fall out. The sour smell of urine can appear with infectious lesions of the bladder and urethra. This is due to the multiplication of bacteria, the presence of fermentation processes, which normally should be absent.
Trimethylaminuria is a rare genetic disorder in which the absorption of trimethylamine is impaired. The substance falls into biological items - urine, sweat, exhaled air. A sick person has a very specific smell, characterized by the majority as "fishy" or "fading fish".But some "gourmets" and it is defined as the sour smell of urine. In infants, this pathology may appear due to the termination of breastfeeding. But often the smell appears already in adulthood, with an equal frequency among men and women.
In diabetes mellitus, more precisely, with a prolonged high level of glucose in the blood( hyperglycemia), the process of ejection of ketone bodies - products of oxidation of proteins and fats begins. One of the first target organs, according to which "beats" high sugar - the kidneys. In the urine there are ketone bodies, it becomes with the smell of sour product. The disease can develop at any age( up to 25 years - type I, after 25-35 - type II).
In children
In children, the appearance of a specific acidic urine smell, most likely, speaks of diseases of the digestive tract. It can be suspected:
- gastritis;
- dysbiosis;
- duodenitis( inflammation of the duodenum).
It is possible that such a reaction was due to the child's consumption of a new food: carbonated drink( lemonade), chewing gum, chips and so on.
In infants, the sharp smell of urine most often occurs against the background of a change in diet( milk formula), a change in the nutrition of the mother( if the baby is breastfed) or the introduction of complementary foods. This is a conditioned-normal reaction of the body caused by a small digestive disorder.
In addition, dysbacteriosis develops against the background of antibiotic treatment, so to prevent the recommended use of complex probiotics and prebiotics.
A rare disease - phenylketonuria - is diagnosed in children aged 2-4 months. It has characteristic external manifestations: convulsions, lethargy, characteristic odor from the body and from the secreted urine. The smell of urine is described in different ways: mouse, wolf, the smell of the cellar, mold, kefir( with a slight sourness).
Women
Women are more susceptible to various diseases of the genitourinary system, so the frequent cause of the acid sour smell is thrush( candidiasis).In the vagina, as well as in the intestine, there live a certain kind of bacteria, which are considered conditionally pathogenic. They are useful or harmless to humans, while they are in a normal habitat, but getting into the urethral canal can cause serious inflammation.
When entering the urethra, fungi and bacteria begin to multiply actively, move up the urethra and are capable of provoking serious inflammatory diseases of the bladder and kidneys. Therefore, a woman should strongly alert the sour smell of urine.
It is necessary to exclude such diseases as:
- candidiasis;
- cystitis;
- urethritis.
It is also characteristic of the female symptom associated with the acidic odor of urine, is its appearance after sexual intercourse. This may indicate an existing sexually transmitted disease.
In men,
The male genitourinary system is less susceptible to bacteriological invasion. Nevertheless, this can occur with a descending infection. Often manifestations of inflammation of the kidneys become a change in color and consistency of urine, the presence of an acidic odor.
Another feature of the male body is the possibility of the appearance of an acidic odor of urine due to inflammation of the prostate. The urethral canal in men, though longer than the female one, is very vulnerable. Therefore, inflammation with the prostate gland quickly passes to the bladder or urethra, causing cystitis or urethritis, respectively, altering the odor of the separated urine.
Some foods may also affect the smell of urine, but this is considered normal. So, the majority of men who regularly use asparagus noted that over time, urine gets a fetid odor, giving off sour cabbage.
Dangerous symptoms
In itself, a change in the smell of urine, especially repeated - this is a good reason to consult a doctor. To find out the reason why such a smell has appeared is meaningless - the description of smells may not correspond at all. Moreover, it is not necessary to select a treatment and adjust the diet( food), based on the changed smell of urine.
In addition to changing the smell of urine, induce a visit to the doctor should:
- color change;
- presence of impurities - blood, mucus, sand;
- when collected in a transparent container - deposition of sediment, flakes, suspended matter;
- the presence of an oil film on the urine surface.
Glomerulonephritis and pyelonephritis lead to complications in the form of a kidney infarction, severe form of kidney failure and, as a result, to necrosis and removal of the affected organ.
The general analysis of urine is the most standard procedure. It is carried out within a few hours, does not require serious preparation, every medical laboratory conducts this analysis. He gives an initial, but rather complete idea of the state of the patient's body.