What is urine odor?

Urine odor relates to the volume and concentration of a variety of chemicals excreted by the kidneys. Normally, urine does not have a strong odor, but if you are dehydrated and your urine becomes highly concentrated, it can have a strong ammonia smell. Many foods and medications, such as asparagus or vitamins can also affect the odor of urine.

Most changes in urine odor are temporary and do not indicate serious illness. However, sometimes an unusual urine odor can be associated with an underlying medical condition. That is why you should talk to your doctor if you are concerned about the odor of your urine.

• A strong ammonia smell might mean there is not enough fluid or point to the presence of dehydration         
• Foul smelling urine often indicates a bacterial infection of the kidneys or bladder.
• Sweet smelling urine might be caused by uncontrolled diabetes.
• Musty smelling urine might be caused by liver disease or phenylketonuria which is a rare and inherited metabolic condition.
• A maple syrup smell indicates maple syrup urine disease, which is rare inherited metabolic disorder.

Maple syrup urine disease is referred to as MSUD. There are several forms of this disease. The classic form is quite serious and kids with this disease get very sick in the first week of life with vomiting and worsening symptoms over a few days. Babies that suffer from the mild form of maple syrup disease have the sugary smell at first and then gradually develop other symptoms.

These kids should have a special diet. There is also a form of maple syrup disease which responds well to the vitamin thiamine. All of the forms of MSUD are a result of missing enzymes that normally help process proteins in our body. In some cases, the odor of the urine may be fine, but it is something you will want to be sure your doctor knows about.

Test for urine odor

Doctors usually need to test the urine to find the cause of the unusual urine odor. To obtain a clean-catch urine sample, males should wipe the head of the penis clean and females should wipe between the labia with soapy water and rinse well. Sometimes a patient should use a special clean-catch kit with a cleansing solution and sterile wipes.

At the beginning, the patient should let a small amount of urine into the toilet bowl to clear the urethra of contaminants. Then he or she needs to collect a sample of urine in a clean or sterile container. Doctors need about 1 to 2 ounces of urine for a urine test. Try to remove the container from the urine stream without stopping the flow. You may finish voiding into the toilet bowl, so after this, take the sample to the lab.