A person might smell like urine due to poor kidney or liver function, where waste products like urea build up and are released through sweat, or from diabetes (ketones), excessive sweating (hyperhidrosis), certain bacterial infections (like H. pylori), specific diets (high protein), or rare metabolic conditions (trimethylaminuria), all causing ammonia-like or urine-like odors from sweat or breath, often signaling an underlying health issue that needs a doctor's evaluation.
Sweat that has a urine-like odor can result from various factors such as diet, hydration, or individual health. Foods high in protein, particularly red meat and certain fish, contain sulfur compounds that can impact body odor.
In the case of liver or kidney disease, your odor may give off a bleach-like smell due to toxin buildup in your body.
Foul-smelling urine may be due to bacteria. Sweet-smelling urine may be a sign of uncontrolled diabetes or a rare disease of metabolism. Liver disease and certain metabolic disorders may cause musty-smelling urine.
Diabetes: Diabetes is one of the most well-known health conditions linked to changes in body odor. People with uncontrolled diabetes can experience a fruity or acetone-like smell (think nail polish remover) on their breath or skin.
Warning Signs and Symptoms
While gradual changes in body odor are typically normal, sudden or intense shifts may indicate an underlying health issue. Conditions like diabetes, thyroid disorders, or infections can sometimes cause a change in odor, so it's important to consult a healthcare professional if you have concerns.
If the enzyme is missing or its activity is reduced because of a variant in the FMO3 gene, trimethylamine is not processed properly and can build up in the body. As excess trimethylamine is released in a person's sweat, urine, and breath, it causes the odor characteristic of trimethylaminuria.
Kidney failure can make urine smell strongly of ammonia or have a fishy odor, often due to built-up waste products (amines) or infection, signaling concentrated urine from dehydration or kidney dysfunction. Other signs alongside bad-smelling urine include foamy, bloody, or cola-colored urine, swelling, fatigue, and changes in urination, all pointing to potential kidney issues that require a doctor's evaluation.
You should worry about urine smell and see a doctor if it's persistent, accompanied by fever, pain/burning during urination, cloudy or bloody urine, or if it smells sweet (potential diabetes) or rotten (potential infection/kidney stones). While often temporary due to dehydration or food, persistent strong or unusual odors, especially with other symptoms, warrant medical attention to rule out UTIs, diabetes, or other conditions.
If your kidneys aren't working properly, you may notice one or more of the following signs:
What does fetor hepaticus smell like? Healthcare providers who recognize the smell of fetor hepaticus have described it as musty, pungent, oddly sweet and occasionally fecal (poop-like).
Another reason you may feel smelling ammonia is because your body is telling you that you are dehydrated. Dehydration can make your sweat smell like ammonia. Your body is telling you that you need more water. It also indicates that your body doesn't have enough water to dilute the ammonia as the body is releasing it.
Certain medical conditions such as urinary tract infections, diabetes, or kidney problems may also cause changes in urine odor that can permeate clothing. Moreover, inadequate hydration or consumption of certain foods with strong-smelling compounds can contribute to the intensity of urine odor.
Ensuring you drink enough water throughout the day can help dilute urine and reduce its odour. Cranberry juice can also bring many benefits to your diet and improve the acidity of your urine as well as naturally reducing odour.
An olfactory hallucination, known as phantosmia, makes you detect smells that aren't in your environment. The odors you notice in phantosmia are different from person to person and may be foul or pleasant. You may notice the smells in one or both nostrils.
Bladder infection. Cystitis (irritation of the bladder) Dehydration — when the body doesn't have enough water and other fluids to work as it should. Diabetic ketoacidosis (in which the body has high levels of blood acids called ketones)
Rarely, people can have bad breath because of organ failure. A person with kidney failure may have breath that smells like ammonia or urine. Serious liver disease can make breath smell musty or like garlic and rotten eggs. Compounds that are transported through the blood can also be released through your sweat glands.
And as kidney disease progresses, you may notice the following symptoms. Nausea and vomiting, muscle cramps, loss of appetite, swelling via feet and ankles, dry, itchy skin, shortness of breath, trouble sleeping, urinating either too much or too little.
A foul smell due to urine leaks is unpleasant for you and others living in your household. In addition, if left for too long, smells can become difficult to remove from fabrics and clothing.
A discharge that smells like urine can be caused by urine mixing with your natural vaginal secretions or due to changes in the bacteria, such as in bacterial vaginosis.
While eccrine sweat glands are present in all skin types on the body, apocrine and sebaceous are restricted to certain locations. Body odor is primarily caused by apocrine sweat glands that become activated during puberty.
FAQs About Halitosis in Kids
Breath that smells like urine can be a sign of dehydration or a medical condition such as kidney disease. It is best to consult with a healthcare professional if you notice this symptom.
The most common odors associated with DKA are: Fruity Breath: A sweet, fruity smell caused by high ketone levels is a classic sign of DKA. Ammonia-Like Smell: This can happen when the kidneys cannot filter out waste. Unusual Sweat Odor: Ketones can make sweat take on a stronger, more noticeable smell.