Liver disease and certain metabolic disorders may cause musty-smelling urine.
The scent of fetor hepaticus is more distinct and smells like sulfur. It happens as a result of liver disease. Learn more about fetor hepaticus and how to manage the condition.
Urinary Tract Infections (UTIs).
Bacterial overgrowth from a UTI causes a foul smell in urine. Dr. Kaaki compares it to a skin abscess.
When urine is highly concentrated, it contains more ammonia and less water. This can cause it to have a strong smell. Urine tends to be more concentrated when a person is dehydrated. This is often the case first thing in the morning or when a person does not drink enough water throughout the day.
Urine is mostly waste products and water and normally has a mild smell and a light yellow color. If you have more waste than water in your urine, it can smell more strongly. In most cases, a strong smell isn't a sign of disease. It's usually from your diet and medications, or it means you need to drink more water.
A woman who urinates alcohol without having consumed any is the first person to be diagnosed with “urinary auto-brewery syndrome”. The condition is caused by yeast in the bladder, which ferments the sugar in urine to produce alcohol.
Several vitamins, including vitamin B-6, can cause urine smell to change. Although a strong smell to your urine probably doesn't mean vitamin D toxicity, it may indicate that you are dehydrated, which can in turn be a sign of excess vitamin D. Strong-smelling urine could also indicate a urinary tract infection.
Liver disease and certain metabolic disorders may cause musty-smelling urine.
Liver disease
Infections and diseases of the liver can produce high ammonia levels in the urine and the accompanying pungent odor. Ammonia levels in blood and urine will increase when the liver is not working as it should. Any continued ammonia odor in urine should be checked by a doctor.
Make a solution of baking soda, peroxide and any dish detergent. The combination of the three is often powerful enough to drive away strong urine smells. The solutions is eight fluid ounces of peroxide, three tablespoons of baking soda, and a few drops of dish detergent.
Take Deodorizing Tablets. Internal deodorizing products can help to neutralize urine smells. Vitamin C tablets can also deodorize urine — but they can also interact negatively with other medications or treatments, so check with your doctor before consuming tablets.
This may be due to a UTI or even to dysbiosis, where harmful bacteria increase in number and take over the good bacteria in the body. The excess bacteria may change the smell or look of the urine as it sits in the bladder, which can lead to a sulfuric smell. Cystitis needs prompt medical treatment.
Ketones smell like acetone – like pear drops, or like nail-polish remover. DKA usually occurs in people with Type 1 diabetes, and is a medical emergency. "If diabetes remains undiagnosed or poorly controlled, high levels of glucose in the urine may make the urine smell sweet."
With advanced diabetes, sugar and ketones, which are normally absent, can accumulate in the urine and create a strong odor.
People with diabetes may experience frequent diarrhea — loose, watery stools that happen at least three times a day. You may have fecal incontinence as well, especially at night.
The polyphenols in coffee are absorbed by the digestive tract and put to use, then broken down and excreted in urine. So, if someone drinks a lot of coffee, their urine may contain a high enough concentration of polyphenols and other coffee compounds. This will make it smell like coffee.
Other metabolic disorders, like phenylketonuria (also known as PKU), can also influence urine smell. In PKU, a defective gene prevents the breakdown of the amino acid phenylalanine, which builds up and causes musty-smelling breath and urine.
Fish Odor Syndrome
Also called trimethylaminuria, this genetic condition can give your pee a fishy smell. It happens when your body can't break down trimethylamine. You end up getting rid of the compound through your pee, sweat, breath, and other fluids. It doesn't mean you're unhealthy.
Trimethylaminuria (TMAU) is an uncommon condition that causes an unpleasant, fishy smell. It's also called "fish odour syndrome". Sometimes it's caused by faulty genes that a person inherits from their parents, but this isn't always the case. There's currently no cure, but there are things that can help.
Liver disease can lead to high levels of ammonia in your urine, causing it to have an unpleasant smell. If left untreated, liver conditions can be fatal. Always see your doctor if you notice your urine has an unusual, ammonia-like odor.