Why does urine smell strong? Possible causes of strong urine odor

It is quite difficult to get rid of the smell of human urine if it has managed to be absorbed into any of the materials: floor, carpet, bed, mattress. Because of this, the following queries are often found on the Internet: “how to get rid of the smell of a person’s urine in an apartment” or “what to do when the smell of an old person’s urine is constantly present in the house.”

The process of removing urine from the body

Let us also consider in general terms the process of urine excretion in a healthy person.

The liquid, in the mass of which waste products are removed from the body, travels a long way - through the kidneys, ureters, bladder and urethra.
Urine accumulates in the bladder, a muscle sac whose volume is about 300-600 ml. As it accumulates, it is released by the body.
The fluid is discharged through the urethra (urethra).

So why does urine smell strong? The most common reason is that one of the organs that we listed above has some problems in their work. But other things can also provoke an unpleasant odor.

Certain foods

Why does urine smell - strong, pungent, unpleasant? The reason may lie in your recent lunch or dinner.

Spices (particularly garlic) that emit a strong aroma. These seasonings can also give urine a distinct odor.
Seafood. Especially if you have eaten them in large quantities. The statement applies most of all to mussels - both fresh and marinated.
The most common food cause of strong urine odor is asparagus. No matter what form you use this plant, it will cause a sharp, unpleasant odor in your discharge. However, this kind of deficiency can be easily eliminated - add a little sea salt to the dish with asparagus before eating.

Urgent measures

Immediate elimination of the smell of urine in the apartment is carried out sequentially. Namely:

By washing. If urine gets on clothes, textiles, or other fabric products.
By washing. If found on the floor. To do this, first use paper towels, and then water and soda.
Household chemicals, damp sponges. If stains are found on the surface of the furniture.

After processing, drying is carried out. When working with any cleaning products on delicate surfaces, first do a quick test on a separate area. This will help avoid damage to all the material.

Systemic disturbances in the functioning of organs

Why does human urine smell very strong? As we discussed above, this may be due to a systemic dysfunction of organs. Especially those systems through which urine passes.

The most common causes are the following diseases:

Pyelonephritis is an inflammatory process occurring in the kidneys. It can be either a primary form (the disease affects healthy kidneys) or a secondary form (pyelonephritis is a consequence of another kidney disease). A change in the smell of urine will not be the only sign here. The patient will complain of sharp, nagging pain in the lower back. The disease is quite serious - you need to seek help from a doctor as soon as possible!
Cystitis is an inflammation of the bladder. The disease can be either infectious or non-infectious in nature. The mucous membrane of the muscle sac becomes inflamed, which leads to disruption of its functioning - the patient’s urine will become cloudy and have sediment. An unpleasant ammonia odor will also be felt from freshly collected urine. Sometimes “medicinal” cystitis occurs - the disease is caused by long-term use of large doses of medications that irritate the bladder mucosa. In particular, these are “Urotropin”, “Phenacetin”. The urine will have a sharp “pharmacy” or “hospital” smell.
Urethritis is an inflammation of the walls of the urethra (urethra). A disease of bacteriological, viral nature. In addition to the strong smell of urine, the patient will notice noticeable pain when urinating, purulent, bloody spots in the urine. Moreover, the smell of this disease appears as the very first of all symptoms.
UTI (urinary tract infection). Due to the anatomical proximity of the organs, diseases of these systems are in some cases interrelated. Vaginosis, chlamydia, gardnerellosis are the causes of the sharp unpleasant odor of urine. The collected urine here will also be cloudy when held up to light.

Diagnostic methods

Urine can indicate a disease not only of the urinary system, but also of other internal organs.

There are many different urine tests:

General urine analysis - shows all the work of not only the urinary system, but also other internal organs.
The Nechiporenko analysis shows the number of red blood cells, white blood cells and casts in urine. This analysis is prescribed for patients with inflammatory processes.
A sugar test is used to diagnose diabetes.
Analysis for diastasis shows the functioning of the pancreas.
The red blood cell test shows whether there is blood in the urine. Used in the diagnosis of urolithiasis, cystitis, pyelonephritis.

In men and women

The characteristic putrefactive smell of urine can indicate diseases of the genital area. This is a cause for concern for both women and men. This means that inflammatory foci have formed somewhere in the genitourinary system, surrounded by suppuration. This may also speak about rectal fistulas - rectal, vesical fistulas.

The sharp unpleasant smell 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, and difficulty urinating.

If a woman, especially after recent sexual intercourse, diagnoses urine with an unpleasant odor, this may be evidence of the presence of a sexually transmitted infection in the body, an imbalance of the vaginal microflora. For the same reason, some women note this symptom after childbirth.

Dehydration

Why does urine smell? The 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 normal.

Dehydration is not always caused by a critical situation or serious illness. It can even affect a completely healthy person. If we are carried away by work or other occupation (and even more so physically), on a hot and stuffy day we forget to drink the required amount of water. Let us remind you that the minimum norm for a person per day is 1.5 liters.

Starvation

The consequence of fasting is acidosis with all the sad consequences that flow from it. The human body needs a certain amount of carbohydrates every day. When there is a shortage, the deficiency begins to be compensated from preliminary reserves of fatty acids.

Hypoglycemia (insufficient blood glucose) develops. The blood mass becomes acidic, which leads to acidosis. The consequence is that 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? The reason may also be diseases that, at first glance, have nothing to do with the urinary tract:

Diabetes. A symptom of diabetes is dehydration, which causes urine to smell. If the form of the disease is severe enough, then a certain sweetish smell emanates from the urine, somewhat reminiscent of apple. This indicates an increased content of ketone bodies. The most dangerous signal is when a diabetic’s urine begins to characteristically smell like acetone. Here the level of ketone bodies went beyond the maximum norm, and acidosis began in the body. If emergency measures are not taken in this case, the patient may fall into a diabetic coma.
Liver failure. Serious disorders affecting the functions of the organ, which can occur with viral acute hepatitis, toxic, alcoholic, drug and other lesions. The efficiency of the liver system is also reflected in urine. With the so-called jaundice, the urine has an atypical thick odor and becomes the color of dark beer or even a brownish, greenish hue.
Leucinosis. Another name is “maple syrup disease.” This is a hereditary pathology, which is characterized by a violation of the metabolism of amino acids in the body - valine, leucine, isoleucine. The second name of the disease was given precisely by the characteristics of urine. The urine begins to smell somewhat like maple syrup. It is caused by the presence of a substance in the urine that appears from leucine.
Trimethylaminuria. A rather rare disease characterized by a “fishy” smell of urine. What is the reason? The human body 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 metabolizing phenylalanine (one of the amino acids) in the body. The concentration of the substance in the urine gives the characteristic odor.

What could each specific smell mean?

Let us consider separately several situations where it is possible to roughly determine the causes of pronounced anomalous aromas.

Mouse smell of urine. It is observed with phenylketonuria - this is a genetically determined pathology in which urine smells of a strong chemical composition. It occurs due to the disruption of phenylalanine metabolism in the human body. The disease affects the central nervous system and provokes the release of toxic substances.
Smell of ammonia. Especially if the aroma is felt in the morning, it usually indicates congestion in the kidneys. A typical phenomenon for pregnant women, bedridden patients and those who spend a lot of time sitting. There is nothing dangerous in this, but you will have to change your lifestyle. Ammonia can also occur in diabetes mellitus and genitourinary tract infections.
Why does urine smell strong like fish? If there is a sharp, unpleasant odor of herring, you should be wary. This aroma is characteristic of trimethylaminuria. Experts believe that urine smells like fish due to systemic disorders in the liver, or more precisely, in the fermentation processes. This leads to the accumulation of trimethylamine in the body. It is this that, when it enters the excretory tract, causes the urine to smell like fish. As the disease progresses, the aroma becomes very strong and may be noticeable to others. This is not treated with medication, but with a special diet. This disorder can be observed throughout life and intensify with age if you do not adhere to nutritional rules.

Why is my baby's urine smelly?

Let's look separately at cases involving children:

Only newborns will have no odor in their urine. As you grow older, your urine will take on characteristics characteristic of adult urine.
An unpleasant odor of urine in infants is one of the signs that the child has a genetic disease.
For example, why does the urine of a 5-year-old boy smell sharp? This may indicate a genitourinary disease in the child.
Urine in children acquires a pungent odor at high temperatures and dehydration (often these factors are related). In such cases it becomes more concentrated. This will be the cause of the smell. Try to give your baby as much fluid as possible.
If a baby is breastfed, the smell of his urine often reflects what the mother ate. We have already said which products give urine a pungent odor.

Even if the reason seems too banal to you, it would not be a bad idea to take your child for a consultation with a pediatrician.

Don't rush to panic

A bad odor noticed during urination is not always a sign of danger. There are several non-pathological reasons why urine smells different than usual. A changed odor in a normal state of health may appear due to the following circumstances:

Human diet. Urine sometimes changes aroma under the influence of alcohol, asparagus, spicy and salty foods. The causes of a strong odor caused by food go away on their own. This usually requires 1-2 days from the last time you took such products. But if you continue to regularly abuse beer and eat smoked foods, the situation will not change. If after giving up this diet the aroma becomes normal, then the problem was in the diet.
Medications. Vitamins, antibiotics and other medications can affect the characteristics of urine. After drug treatment ends, the substances are independently eliminated from the body, and the urine is normalized in all respects. For example, when treated with ampicillin, many people note a strange smell of urine, which goes away after the end of the course of therapy. B vitamins also affect urine characteristics.
Violation of water balance. Unpleasant urine odor in men and women can occur if a person is on a strict diet or suffers from dehydration. This usually happens to those who exercise or try to lose weight. As a result, a pungent odor of ammonia is sometimes felt when urinating. In order for the situation to normalize, you need to drink a lot and eat a balanced diet, including the required amount of vitamins, minerals and nutrients in your diet.

Why does my cat have stinky urine?

In conclusion, about our little brothers. Reasons why a cat has smelly urine:

Just like in humans, the strong smell of ammonia from urine will indicate dehydration.
The animal has entered the period of puberty and hunting. The smell is caused by increased activity of the sex glands.
The cat's diet is incorrect. The reason is a protein imbalance.
Disease of a genitourinary nature. Everything here repeats the human situation.
Hormonal diseases, cancer. An alarming sign is a putrid smell. Often he alone can speak about a serious pathology.
Severe stress. A pungent odor in this case is a disruption in metabolic processes.

If an unusual smell appears for no apparent reason and does not go away within 2 weeks, this is a reason to take the animal to the veterinarian.

So we have figured out all the reasons for the strong smell of urine. Even if some of them are harmless, this is still a sufficient reason to consult a doctor.

Prevention

In order not to constantly think about how to get rid of the smell of adult urine in a room, follow some recommendations:

Ventilate rooms frequently. If possible, leave windows slightly open at night, and also during times when household members are not in the room.
Always maintain perfect order. You shouldn’t import new things right away. The room needs some time to freshen up.
Excess moisture in your home can lead to mold growth. Strive to deep clean your rooms regularly.
Use natural fresheners to remove human urine odor.

Unpleasant pathologies that provoke urinary incontinence are much more common in the female sex. In men, such situations occur much less frequently. The most effective option for eliminating the problem of urinary incontinence is surgery and a special set of exercises.

In an insoluble situation, absorbent pads will always come to the rescue. They are guaranteed to neutralize the smell of an elderly person’s urine, so you don’t have to think about how to get rid of it. When caring for a person who is prohibited from getting out of bed, practice regular hygiene. Change his diapers every 3 hours, throw out accumulated garbage, and regularly use odor neutralizers. In everyday conditions they can be:

individual deodorant or eau de toilette, cologne and perfume;
wet scented individual wipes;
products specifically designed for intimate hygiene.

A sick person should be bathed weekly, but intimate hygiene must be observed daily, as well as changing bedding when soiled.