The sharp and unpleasant smell of urine in your baby can be a signal for urgent medical attention. The cause of such an unpleasant situation may be natural causes, for example, the introduction of new products into the diet. However, it is best to make a diagnosis and prevent the development of a possible disease with the help of medication, if necessary. Many diseases of the internal organs are characterized by an unpleasant smell in the urine of the baby.
How should urine smell in a baby?
People often wonder why the urine of a child smells very strong. In a healthy young child, it should be free of impurities, without a specific and pungent odor. A few months after birth, the baby is introduced to complementary foods, as a result of which a soft unobtrusive smell appears in the urine. Artificial feeding urine in babies usually has a stronger smell than babies who feed on mother’s milk.
Parents should constantly watch how their urine smells. This is especially important until the baby has reached a conscious age and cannot communicate his health problems himself.
The smell of children's urine is a kind of indicator of the condition of the internal organs of the child and the work of the body as a whole. That is why with any change in the color of urine or the appearance of an unpleasant odor, you should consult a doctor for advice. This will help to maintain the health of the baby, as well as prevent the development of an infectious disease.
Causes of urine odor changes
To answer the question of why the child smells strongly of urine, one should know that in children over 12 years old, the smell of urine changes dramatically. The reason for this phenomenon lies in the change in the endocrine glands. Restructuring of the hormonal background in adolescence greatly affects the vital functions of the body, including the urinary system. Also the cause of an unpleasant odor can be physical overwork. If the unpleasant odor from the urethra is similar to ammonia and acetone, then the child should be taken to a specialist in the field of urology.
Urine also smells strongly in a child for some natural reason, for example, as a result of a rare change in diapers and diapers. In addition to the appearance of odor, failure to observe basic hygiene can lead to more serious consequences, namely, to provoke hives, diaper rash, dermatitis and unpleasant allergic reactions.
Factors Affecting Urine Smell
Often parents ask themselves why their urine began to smell like odors. The following factors can provoke this:
- Changing the diet of the baby. With age, new foods are introduced to the infant, such as vegetables and fruits, which have their own specific flavors. They can greatly affect the smell of urine, making it more pronounced, sometimes even caustic.
- Dehydration It is very important for a baby to drink enough fluids. Depletion of the body can occur as a result of acute poisoning by food or poisons. The body as a result of intoxication emits a large amount of not always pleasant smelling liquid.
- Vitamin D deficiency. Usually, such a useful element in the body is not enough if the child spends little time outdoors. Sometimes this leads to the development of rickets. One of the symptoms of this disease is a sharp smell of fluid, which is excreted by the genitourinary organs. Also, a lack of vitamin D leads to a decrease in appetite, increased sweating and poor hair growth.
- Taking potent drugs and antibiotics. Antiviral drugs are partially or completely eliminated through the genitourinary system, giving the urine a specific smell. After the course of treatment with drugs is completed, all indicators return to normal.
- Breast-feeding. In this case, the smell of urine may be associated with a change in the diet of the mother. Cabbage and asparagus can significantly change the smell of urine.
- Colds. With rhinitis, SARS and bronchitis, urine always starts to produce an unpleasant odor. The body is exhausted as a result of the fight against infection. After complete recovery, the smell of urine disappears completely.
- Hepatitis. A sign of this serious illness is an unpleasant odor and dark color of urine.
- Diabetes. Patients with this disease usually have colorless urine. The frequency of going to the toilet increases. Urine has an ammonia or vinegar odor.
- Pyelonephritis or cystitis. With such diseases, sometimes urine dramatically changes its smell.
Ammonia odor
Moms often wonder why a child smells of urine. Many odor doctors may suggest which disease a small patient suffers from. For example, if an ammonia odor is noticed, then, most likely, this is a pronounced sign of a violation of the urinary tract. This disease occurs as a result of malfunctioning of the endocrine glands. In the blood, and then in the urine, a large number of ketone bodies are formed. Most likely, the patient suffers from diabetes mellitus or acetonemia. Typical symptoms of the disease are: a child’s thirst complaints, pain during urination, dry skin and a sharp loss of body weight. If the above symptoms are absent, but the urine in the child during urination is dark, then this means that a focus of infection appeared in the urinary system. To get rid of the disease, you will need to undergo antibiotic treatment.
The smell of acetone
If the child's urine smells of acetone, this may be due to excessive mobility of the baby. Under heavy loads, ketones form in urine, which cause such an unpleasant odor. In this case, no treatment is required. To get rid of the smell, it’s enough to just adjust the regimen of the child’s day so that the baby is not overexcited during the day. Sometimes the cause of the acetone odor can be stress caused by various reasons (divorce or constant quarrels of parents, a change of housing or a situation in the game room). Sometimes a child may need the help of a psychologist.
The smell of burnt sugar
If the baby’s urine smells strongly of burnt sugar after urinating, then this may be a sign of a disease called leucinosis (branched chain ketonuria). This ailment arises as a result of a genetic predisposition and manifests itself from the first days of the baby's life. The system responsible for the production of enzymes reduces its activity. Amino acids within the body do not oxidize, resulting in a characteristic smell of urine. As a treatment, a fairly long treatment with medications is required.
Other odors and possible causes
If the urine in a child smells of fish, then this indicates a genetic disease. The smell can emit not only urine, but also the sweat of the child, and even exhaled air.
A pronounced murine odor most likely means a congenital pathology called phenylketonuria. One of the signs of the disease is the accumulation of amino acids and metabolic products in the urinary tract. If you do not consult a doctor in time, the disease can damage the nervous system.
How to detect urinary tract disease
Often, urine smells in a child as a result of kidney and bladder disease. One of the most common causes of pathology is inflammation within the body. Fighting pathogens, human immunity secrete white blood cells to fight the disease. Due to the fact that the immune system has not yet formed in children, the disease can continue to progress. You can understand that the child’s body can’t cope with pathogenic organisms by the following symptoms:
- The patient rarely visits the toilet.
- Urine has a cloudy color, sometimes it mixes with blood clots. May have a curd sediment.
- Urination is accompanied by pain in the abdomen and in the lumbar region, and there is also a pain in the genitals.
What to do to avoid odor
"Why does urine smell in a child?" - This is one of the most common questions for young mothers. If the smell of urine in your baby has changed, has become sharp and unpleasant, then you should not be afraid and diagnose it. If the next day everything returned to normal, then the cause of this phenomenon, most likely, was overwork or a new product in his diet. If the smell persists every day after each trip to the toilet, then you need to contact a pediatrician. A urinalysis should be taken at a medical facility to determine the content of the following substances:
- uric acid;
- ketones;
- white blood cells;
- proteins.
If the child has inflammation in the organs responsible for urination, it is necessary to sow the biological sample in a nutrient medium. Then, according to the number of colonies formed, the doctor can conclude the presence or absence of infectious foci. Also, when there is a sharp smell in the urine, a blood test is prescribed for the presence of sugar in the body.
Disease prevention
To avoid problems with urination in the child, it is necessary to give him clean water. Sweet drinks should be completely removed from the diet. If you experience high body temperature and severe vomiting, it is recommended to drink special saline solutions, they can be found in pharmacies. Often children refuse such drugs. In this case, the child must be given a therapeutic solution in a tablespoon every 20 minutes. After recovery, the smell of urine and the general condition of the body should return to normal.
As a prevention, doctors recommend protecting your child from emotional shocks and heavy physical exertion. In order for the child to be healthy, one should strictly adhere to the diet and drinking plenty of fluids, especially in the heat.
How to detect and fight ketonuria
If the baby started ketonuria, experts recommend giving a drink with a low sugar content. It can be fruit juices or just water with sugar. To detect this disease, special test strips can be purchased at any pharmacy, which should be soaked in the urine of the child. If the child has ketonuria, then the indicator strip will turn colored.