The smell of illness. What does the body smell like with this or that pathology?

According to scientists, people choose their soulmate based on body odor. It is believed that it is the sense of smell that allows you to select a partner with the most suitable set of genes. After all, a person is capable of secreting pheromones: substances that arouse interest in the opposite sex. However, there are situations when a particular odor emanating from the body should be perceived as a distress signal. After all, it can indicate the presence of a fairly serious disease. Doctors say that some diseases have their own “flavor”. Exactly how diseases smell and what you should pay attention to when a new smell appears - in the material AiF.ru.

Smell test

Doctors have long ago begun to use the unpleasant aroma emanating from the human body as an option for the primary diagnosis of various diseases. After all, a repulsive amber is a clear signal that metabolic processes have been disrupted. This often occurs against the background of the development of certain pathologies.

Question and Answer Is it impossible to cure all people of all diseases? The bacteria that colonize the skin survive the previous colonies that were “healthy”, and the waste products of the new ones begin to smell differently.

What causes the smell of ammonia in the nose?

A smell in the nose can appear due to various reasons, which implies a variety of mechanisms for the occurrence of this symptom. We point out the fact that the feeling of acetone in the nasal cavity is not a problem, but a consequence of the presence of some pathology. The sensation of acetone and ammonia can be caused by many ailments, which we will discuss below.

The first mechanism of action is associated with the development of pathogenic microflora in the nasal cavity. The human mucosa is populated by an abundance of microorganisms. While the immune system is strong, it easily restrains the growth of our single-celled “friends”, preventing them from growing. But when the immune system fails, bacteria begin to actively multiply, producing a huge amount of their own waste products into the nasal cavity. Many of them may smell unpleasant.

• If the cause of the unpleasant aroma lies in bacteria, then both you and those around you will feel this smell in your nose;
• If the smell is heard only by you, but others cannot hear it, then there is a disorder of smell. There are many reasons: injuries, abuse of vasoconstrictors, colds, acute respiratory viral infections with a runny nose, and so on.

Acetone breathing from the nose appears in another case - when the concentration of acetone in the blood increases above normal. This occurs only in about 10% of cases, and we will talk about the reasons for this phenomenon further. Most often, when a person complains of the smell of ammonia from the nose, the doctor suspects diseases of the nasal cavity (80%) and oral cavity (10%).

Cases have been recorded when the smell of acetone does not haunt a person all the time, but only in certain situations or at a specific time of day. And sometimes this is nothing more than a hallucination - with brain damage and some mental illnesses this is possible.

When we are talking about a child, it is possible that a foreign body could get into the nose and the body reacts to this aspect in this way. Actually, this can also happen with adults.

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Does it smell like acetone?

If your sweat smells like acetone, you should check for pathologies such as:

• Various endocrine pathologies that are associated with diabetes mellitus
• Problems with the digestive system
• Liver and kidney disorders
• Human infection with microbes, bacteria and viruses

All this can lead to an imbalance in the body, resulting in general dysfunction. It should be understood that diabetes is the most common cause of acetone body odor. This is associated with the fact that a person develops insulin deficiency. Glucose begins to break down worse, and its excess causes changes in blood composition and deterioration of metabolism: this causes the number of ketone bodies in the body to increase. The body actively removes excess, including through sweat: hence the appearance of a strong acetone amber. It is worth understanding that this condition is fraught with serious health problems and often indicates an approaching diabetic coma.

Also, the smell of acetone can be observed if the kidneys are affected. In this case, in addition to the characteristic “aroma,” the person will exhibit symptoms such as swelling, problems with urination, pain in the lumbar region, increased blood pressure, and the smell of acetone from the mouth.

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Causes of ammonia odor from the nasal cavity and options for solving them

When we touched on the issue of mechanisms, we can find out the specific reasons for where the unpleasant aroma comes from the nasal passages. We will start with diseases of the nasal cavity, since they occur most often in this situation.

Sinusitis

The sinuses, which are normally filled with air, are connected to the nasal cavity by thin passages. But with the development of inflammatory processes (sinusitis, sinusitis, and so on), the sinuses are filled with pus, which emits unpleasant odors. Also, such diseases are often accompanied by a runny nose, headache and fever.

Most often, treatment of sinusitis involves complex therapy. It includes the administration of antibiotics intramuscularly, rinsing the nasal cavity with medicinal solutions, the use of drops with antibiotics, vasoconstrictors to facilitate breathing, and drugs to reduce the viscosity of mucus. If the disease has not yet progressed too much, you can cope with it on your own. To do this, you may need antibiotic drops (you can buy them at a pharmacy, for example, Isofra, or prepare them yourself from cefazolin, dioxidine, diphenhydramine, lidase and adrenaline), vasoconstrictor drops to ease breathing (for example, Naphthyzin, Nazivin, “NokSpray”, “Lazolvan”), mucus-thinning drugs (“Sinupret”) can also help.

Rhinitis ozena

This disease is accompanied by the development of pathological microflora in the nasal cavity, but the symptom of unpleasant odor appears due to drying of the mucous membrane and the accumulation of microorganisms and mucus residues in the form of crusts on the walls of the nose. Ozen rhinitis is characterized by atrophy of the mucous membrane and occurs due to a number of factors: genetic failures, endocrine disorders, vitamin deficiencies and lack of microelements, due to frequent use of vasoconstrictors, viral infections.

Treatment for a given disease is always consistent with its cause. The disease can be eliminated conservatively or surgically. Conservative methods include administering antibiotics intramuscularly or locally, moisturizing the mucous membrane, administering a glycerin solution of glucose to eliminate the unpleasant odor, administering iodine orally, and eliminating fetid crusts with alkaline solutions. The surgical method involves modifying mucosal tissues, transferring the ducts of the parotid glands and other manipulations. Rhinitis ozena should be treated only as prescribed by a doctor and under his supervision.

ARVI

If viruses are raging in the nasal cavity, some patients experience an unpleasant odor. ARVI is usually accompanied by fever, weakness, sweating, and drowsiness, so you will immediately recognize this disease.

For the treatment of acute respiratory viral infections, drugs based on interferons are prescribed, and to facilitate breathing, vasoconstrictor drugs are prescribed, including Nazivin and Vibrocil.

Postoperative period

If during or after the operation the rules of sterility and care of the nasal cavity were not followed, then it is quite possible for pathogenic microflora to develop in the organ that has weakened after the operation.

If this happens to you, you should immediately consult a doctor for help. He will determine the cause of the pathology and decide which treatment option will be successful. Most often these are antibiotics, anti-inflammatory drugs, which will reduce symptoms and allow antibiotic drugs to eliminate pathogenic microflora as soon as possible.

Foreign body in the nasal cavity

Most often this occurs in children who happily stick all sorts of objects into their nose, mouth, and ears. It is impossible to see an object in the child’s nasal cavity with the naked eye. To eliminate the problem, the doctor must do an endoscopy of the nasal cavity, make sure that there is a foreign body there and remove it.

• The smell of acetone in diabetes: what does a diabetic smell like?

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Causes not related to the nasal cavity

These include, first of all, diseases of the oral cavity. Purulent sore throat due to the proliferation of pathological microflora can cause a foul odor; this also includes stomatitis, pulpitis, and abscesses in the oral cavity.

Such a phenomenon as parosmia is also possible. This is a disorder of smell perception that is associated with neurology. Having discovered such a symptom, you should contact a neurologist and undergo an examination to accurately find out the cause of parosmia and eliminate it.

A serious cause of the smell of ammonia in the nasal cavity can be kidney failure. With this disease, all metabolic products remain in the body, accumulating in the blood and tissues. These include ammonia, which is a product of renal metabolism. Renal failure has a wide range of symptoms, including anuria or decreased diuresis, blood in the urine, protein in the urine, pain, and symptoms of intoxication. If you suspect such an illness, you should consult a doctor as soon as possible. The doctor finds out the cause and eliminates or stops the kidney failure.

The list of dangerous causes of the smell of ammonia from the nose includes gout and vascular diseases associated with the accumulation of metabolic products in the body.

A well-known disease in which we hear the smell of acetone in the nose is diabetes. With this pathology, ketone bodies, including acetone, accumulate in the human blood. Acetone can be excreted through the respiratory tract.

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Smell of a cat

There are situations when a person begins to smell of cat feces. In this case, the body also signals about possible problems. For example, the smell of urea appears when:

• Kidney and liver diseases
• Pathologies of the endocrine system and VSD
• Tuberculosis
• Obesity
• Disturbances in the digestive system

Among the common causes of this “aroma” are kidney problems. After all, if their work malfunctions, the entire body as a whole reacts painfully to this. Moreover, you should understand that the smell of urea in this case will be strong, and it will be impossible to cope with it with improvised means: deodorants do not use this.

The problem develops due to the fact that protein breakdown products are excreted through the sebaceous glands. Doctors in this case talk about uricidosis, which can result from chronic nephritis, pyelonephritis and uremia.

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What diseases can cause an acetone smell?

Every symptom that occurs in an elderly person is an important signal indicating an unhealthy state of the body. If the smell of acetone appears, there is a possibility of developing the following diseases:

• acute infectious processes;
• insulin deficiency (diabetes mellitus);
• liver diseases;
• serious kidney pathologies;
• endocrine disruptions.

A doctor can make a diagnosis by studying the patient’s medical history and diagnostic results.

Smell of vinegar

A person's sweat can sometimes smell like vinegar. It is important to understand that the appearance of such a symptom is accompanied by increased sweating. Among the reasons why this problem may develop:

• Endocrine disorders
• Lack of vitamins D and B
• Infectious and inflammatory diseases of the lungs
• Mastopathy

If we are talking about disruptions in the endocrine system, the body may experience a lack of iodine. This immediately leads to the appearance of an unpleasant odor. It is quite possible to recognize tuberculosis by the vinegary odor from the body, because in this case, symptoms such as severe cough, fatigue, weakness and fever will appear. Women are not recommended to ignore such a smell: it can indicate serious problems with the breasts.

Diagnostics

In order to timely diagnose possible diseases associated with the appearance of the unpleasant odor of acetone, it is necessary to undergo the following tests and studies for acetone content, take a blood test for sugar, a urine test, and do a bacterial culture from the nasopharynx; undergo a computed tomography scan; endoscopy.

Thanks to the information obtained from the studies, it is possible to determine what kind of disease caused the appearance of the ammonia odor and how to deal with it by choosing the right treatment, prevent or promote a rapid exit from a comatose state.

Other options

As soon as your body odor has changed, turning into something intolerable, you should visit a doctor as soon as possible. After all, a different smell can indicate various pathologies, some of which are quite difficult to treat.

Infections

If a person smells of acetone on their body, this may be a sign of infectious diseases. Such pathologies are accompanied by severe intoxication of the body. The ketone odor usually appears during the acute stage of the disease, when the patient has a sharply elevated temperature.

Most often, ketoacidosis is observed with rotavirus infection. This disease is commonly called “stomach flu”. It is most often transmitted through dirty hands, less often through airborne droplets. Signs of infection with rotavirus are as follows:

• sore throat (in the first days of illness);
• diarrhea (the color of feces becomes gray);
• fever;
• frequent vomiting;
• severe weakness.

Why does a person’s body smell like acetone during rotavirus infection? During vomiting and diarrhea, the patient loses a large amount of fluid. In addition, fever is accompanied by severe sweating. This leads to dehydration and poor carbohydrate metabolism. Ketone bodies begin to accumulate in the body, which is the cause of the smell.

No special drugs have been developed against rotavirus. Therefore, treatment can only be symptomatic. During illness, you should try to drink as much fluid as possible. This will help avoid dehydration and the accumulation of ketone bodies.

Expert opinion

Mehman Mamedov, professor, doctor of medical sciences, expert of the National Health League:

— The body smells due to various metabolic disorders. For example, due to impaired glucose metabolism, the number of ketone bodies increases and their accumulation on the skin produces an odor. This is typical for decompensated diabetes. Urea odor is end-stage renal failure. The characteristic smell of the skin, as a rule, is a sign of a malfunction of organs associated with metabolism - these are the kidneys, lungs, and liver. Ulcerative-inflammatory skin diseases can also smell.

Renal pathologies

Why does a person's body smell like acetone? This may be due to kidney disease. With nephrosis, metabolism is disrupted. As a result, the excretion of ketones through the kidneys increases. The acetate odor comes from the patient's urine and sweat.

Nephrosis is a disease accompanied by degenerative changes in kidney tissue. The signs of pathology are as follows:

• increased thirst;
• weakness;
• swelling of the face and limbs;
• decreased amount of urine;
• joint pain.

Without treatment, this disease can lead to kidney failure. Usually a person smells of acetone in the early stages of the disease. As the pathology develops, an ammonia smell appears. This indicates a significant deterioration in kidney function.

The patient is prescribed a diet with a high protein content in food and limited salt and water. Corticosteroids and diuretics are indicated.

Poor nutrition

Sometimes it can be very difficult to determine why a person smells of acetone. After all, the examination does not reveal any pathologies in him. In this case, you need to pay attention to your diet. The cause of an unpleasant odor may be a diet with insufficient amounts of carbohydrate foods.

Quite a few people are into ketogenic diets these days. This diet involves a sharp restriction of carbohydrates and a large amount of fat in the diet.

The keto diet is believed to lead to rapid weight loss. However, such a menu can provoke serious metabolic disorders. With a carbohydrate deficiency, active fat burning occurs. In the process of accelerated lipid metabolism, an excess of ketone bodies is formed, which do not have time to be excreted from the body. These substances negatively affect the tissues of the liver, kidneys and pancreas.

If a person smells of acetone, then he needs to immediately review his menu. Otherwise, it can lead to serious pathologies. An acetate smell signals a severe carbohydrate deficiency. In this case, you need to urgently stop following the ketogenic diet.

It is not uncommon for a person to smell like acetone on their breath during a complete fast. The ketone odor is formed by the same mechanism as in diabetes mellitus. During a long period of fasting, the body begins to use its own fat reserves as an energy source. This releases a large number of ketone bodies. These substances have a toxic effect on organs. Therefore, it is better to avoid starvation diets. Excessively long breaks between meals should also be avoided.

Ketone odor in children

Acetate odor in children can be caused by the same diseases as in adults. Therefore, the child should be shown to a doctor. It is important to remember that diabetes often begins to develop in childhood.

However, in many cases the odor is not associated with pathology. In childhood, ketone bodies oxidize very slowly. This leads to the smell of acetone. This symptom is often observed during puberty, especially during long breaks in food intake. Sometimes the smell appears in a child during times of stress. Doctors suggest that those children whose mothers abused protein foods during pregnancy are prone to ketoacidosis.

In childhood, acetonemic syndrome is also observed. This pathology is characterized by the accumulation of ketones in the body and an acetate odor from the mouth and skin. The causes of the disease have not been precisely established. Acetonemic syndrome occurs in the form of attacks. Suddenly the child experiences severe vomiting, motor and mental restlessness, and headaches. Then this state is replaced by lethargy and drowsiness. Such children are advised to eat a diet high in carbohydrates and limited in fatty foods. To combat dehydration, infusion solutions are administered. Typically, signs of pathology disappear on their own after the child turns 12-13 years old.