Kidney problems: A child with an underlying kidney issue may have foul smelling breath resembling urine.
A fruity odor to the breath is a sign of ketoacidosis, which may occur in diabetes. It is a potentially life-threatening condition. Breath that smells like feces can occur with prolonged vomiting, especially when there is a bowel obstruction.
Urine that has an unusual smell may be a sign of diabetes, an infection, eating asparagus, or using certain medications, among other causes. Often, drinking more water will clear the odor. Urine often has a slight ammonia smell, especially first thing in the morning or when a person is dehydrated.
Liver disease
Always see your doctor if you notice your urine has an unusual, ammonia-like odor. Other symptoms that may indicate your liver needs attention include dark brown or orange-hued urine.
Fruity-smelling breath is a sign of high levels of ketones in someone who already has diabetes. It's also one of the first symptoms that doctors look for when they check for DKA.
Acetone, a type of ketone, can even make your breath smell like nail polish. Usually, once you flush your body of ketones (with lower blood sugar, or by eating carbohydrates, if fasting or on an extremely low-carbohydrate diet), your bad breath should go away.
Some describe keto breath as having a metallic taste in their mouth and a smell that's sweet, fruity or similar to nail polish remover. This is caused by the chemicals your body creates during ketosis, which are released from the body by exhaling.
Needless to say, one of the most common causes of ammonia breath is, therefore, decreased kidney function. Due to the potential seriousness of this condition it is, therefore, advised that anyone suffering from ammonia breath should see their doctor to rule out kidney-related issues.
Kidney disease causes chemicals in urine to become concentrated and to cause a smell resembling ammonia. Kidney dysfunction can also cause high bacteria and protein levels in the urine, which will contribute to a foul ammonia smell.
Kidney disease
This is called uremia, and is a serious symptom of kidney failure. If a person has high levels of urea in their body, the body may release urea through sweat and cause an odor.
For example, people with kidney disease may develop bad breath. This is caused by a metabolic problem that produces chemicals. These chemicals are exhaled through the lungs, and can cause bad breath.
Prediabetes is used to describe blood sugar levels that are higher than normal, but not high enough to be diagnosed as type 2 diabetes. For some people, noticing that urine smells sweet or fruity can be a first sign that something is different, which can lead to being diagnosed with diabetes.
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.
Some people with diabetes compare the smell of insulin to the scent of Band-Aids, printer ink, Lysol, or new plastic shower curtain liners (4). Apparently, phenols are responsible for the aroma associated with insulin (5).
Diabetes and acetone-like breath
If the body cannot get its energy from glucose, it starts burning fat for fuel instead. The process of breaking down fat for energy releases byproducts called ketones. Acetone is a type of ketone, and it is the same fruity-smelling substance found in some nail polish removers.
Many people with diabetes frequently experience breath that has a fruity, sweet odor or a chemical smell. In fact, it's so common that infrared breath analyzers can detect prediabetes or early-stage diabetes. There are two distinct reasons for bad breath if you have diabetes: Periodontal disease.
There are numerous reasons why someone's urine may have a strong smell: Dehydration - not drinking enough fluids. Vitamin B6 supplements or Fenugreek can cause urine to smell strongly. Certain medications/antibiotics (infant/child)
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.
Severely ill patients often have characteristic smells. Patients with diabetic ketoacidosis have the fruity smell of ketones, although a substantial number of people are unable to detect this. Foetor hepaticus is a feature of severe liver disease; a sweet and musty smell both on the breath and in urine.