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Malodorous Urine / Stinking Urine - Causes, Symptoms and Home Remedies
An odor change may also be caused by certain foods, e.g. Asparagus, garlic or coffee arise, as well as by drugs or excessive consumption of alcohol. To be able to rule out a serious illness, a doctor should always be consulted with malodorous urine as a precaution. For example, treating bladder infection prematurely during pregnancy can lead to serious consequences, such as: lead premature labor.
contents
- definition
- Urinary condition: what smell and color reveal
- Causes of foul-smelling urine
- Stinking urine for asparagus
- Evil-smelling urine from inflammation
- Discomfort in urinary tract infection
- Stinking urine in pregnancy
- Cause diabetes mellitus
- Maple syrup urine disease
- Treatment of malodorous urine by urinary tract infection
- Treatment for diabetes
- Therapy maple syrup disease
- Naturopathy with unpleasant smelling urine
- Homeopathy with uncomplicated urinary tract infection
- Proven home remedies for smelly urine
definition
The urine (also called "urine") is a liquid excretory product, which is formed in the kidneys and then excreted via the draining urinary tract (renal pelvis, ureter, urinary bladder and tube). The emptying of the bladder ("micturition" or "urination") serves mainly the regulation of the fluid and electrolyte balance, in addition, the body of metabolic degradation products (for example, urea, uric acid), drug residues and other toxic substances "purified" by these are flushed out with the urine.
The urine is formed in the kidneys and from there via the ureter into the bladder. (Image: nerthuz / fotolia.com) Depending on the fluid intake, about 1.5 to 2 liters of urine are produced by the kidneys every day, with about 200 to 400 milliliters being normally delivered at each micturition. The urine consists of 95 percent water, the remainder being composed of electrolytes and urea, and in varying proportions, among others, vitamins, organic acids (for example, citric and oxalic acid), creatinine and uric acid.
Urinary condition: what smell and color reveal
Normally, the urine has a clear, slightly yellow color, which is produced by metabolic products (urochromes) such as porphyrins or bilirubin. Depending on the amount of urochromes or substances taken in with the food, however, the urine may also have a completely different color. Examples here are intense yellow (hypotonic urine), red-brownish, black or green. It may also appear white or colorless or transparent (for example, in diabetes). Of course, fresh urine smells neutral. The typical pungent ammonia-like odor develops only after a long time due to the bacterial decomposition.
Urine is generally considered to be an important indicator of various diseases. Accordingly, urinalysis (urinalysis) is one of the oldest medical methods by which, among other things kidney and urinary tract diseases, diabetes or liver disease can be detected. In addition to visual abnormalities such as blood in the urine or turbidity, the color and smell of the urine play an important role in the diagnosis. For example, dark urine may indicate a metabolic disorder on a diseased liver or severe-smelling urine.
The smell and color of urine play an important role in medical diagnostics. (Image: Björn Wylezich / fotolia.com) Causes of foul-smelling urine
Normally, the urine smells inconspicuous when urinating. Only when the urea is converted by bacteria into ammonia after some time, produces the severe, typically pungent-stenching stench. Accordingly, this is usually an indication of lack of cleanliness and hygiene, as it is known, for example, toilets at motorway service areas or longer not cleaned bathrooms.
In other cases, the urine may already have a strange, unpleasant odor during urination, for example after eating certain foods (such as asparagus) as well as in diseases such as diabetes mellitus or a bacterial infection. In neonates, a conspicuous odor of urine may indicate an inborn disorder of lipid or amino acid metabolism. Accordingly, any deviation should be noted and promptly medically clarified to avoid health risks.
Stinking urine for asparagus
Often, after consuming certain medications (such as penicillin) or foods, there is a transient change in the smell of the urine. Accordingly, this is normally harmless and does not require medical treatment.
Among the "classics" are mainly onions, garlic, coffee and asparagus. In the latter case, the unpleasant-biting, partly carbonaceous odor arises, for example, due to an enzyme which decomposes the asparagusic acid contained in the asparagus into sulfur-containing substances. However, this does not affect everyone equally. A study from 1987 showed that only 43 percent of the subjects had the corresponding enzyme and were affected by smelly urine after the consumption of asparagus.
One thing is certain: the genes are crucial that not every asparagus in the urine can smell. Because the ability to break down asparagusic acid is inherited. Consequently, if both parents smell it "scented" after eating the "royal vegetable", the children are also affected in every case, with only one parent dropping the chance to 50 percent.
In some people eating asparagus causes it to smell unpleasant when you urinate. (Image: karepa / fotolia.com) Evil-smelling urine from inflammation
Often, the malodour arises in the course of a urinary tract infection, which means an inflammation of the draining urinary tract, which is usually caused by bacteria. A distinction is made between two forms: The lower urinary tract infection is a urethral infection or cystitis. In case of an upper infection, however, a pyelonephritis is present.
In most cases, it is an infection with the naturally occurring intestinal bacterium Escherichia coli (E. coli, coli bacteria), which passes through the urethra into the urinary tract and causes inflammation there. Fewer are fungi or viruses responsible, as it may be a so-called hematogenous infection in which the pathogen is spread through the blood.
Overall, women are more likely to develop urinary tract infections because they have a significantly shorter urethra. In addition, the urethral opening is closer to the anus than in men, which intestinal bacteria more easily enter the urethra. Accordingly, in women, various causes come into question, such as wiping after bowel movement or drying after bathing or showering the anal towards the vagina or unprotected vaginal intercourse in direct connection to anal or oral sex.
Other risk factors include coated condoms, a diaphragm and false intimate hygiene, as the protective vaginal mucosa is quickly attacked by intimate sprays or disinfecting lotions, allowing pathogens to more easily enter and cause an infection.
Women with a very active sex life are generally more susceptible to cystitis because the vaginal, urethral, and bladder walls are close together, and mechanically irritated by frequent sexual contact. As a result, there is a weakening of the immune system, which in turn causes the pathogens correspondingly faster access to the urinary tract ("honeymoon cystitis").
An enlarged prostate increases the risk of infection in the urinary tract. (Image: bilderzwerg / fotolia.com) Malformation of the urinary tract, bladder or kidney stones, tumors or a permanent bladder catheter can promote an infection. Furthermore, people with a weakened immune system or diabetes mellitus are at greater risk, as are older men who suffer from an enlarged prostate (prostatic hyperplasia).
Discomfort in urinary tract infection
Depending on how severe the infection is and which structures are affected, very different symptoms can occur in individual cases. In part, women feel no further restrictions except for an unpleasant feeling when urinating.
Typical first signs are an unusual urinary frequency, urinary symptoms (severe burning, spasmodic pain), unpleasant-smelling urine, a weak stream of urine, and pelvic pain. Frequent urination is in some cases so pronounced that sufferers are literally surprised by urinary urgency and it comes to soaking, unless timely toilet is reached.
Other signs are cloudiness or dark urine, and blood in the urine is possible in a urinary tract infection. If it is a kidney infection, the infection is usually very difficult, in addition to fever, chills, massive abdominal pain or flank pain, nausea and vomiting and a general "flu" feeling occur.
In men with concomitant prostate inflammation, there may be blood in the semen, sexual listlessness, erection and ejaculation disorders.
In pregnancy, unpleasant smelling urine should be taken very seriously. Because an untreated cystitis can quickly become a big problem in this case. (Image: nd3000 / fotolia.com) Stinking urine in pregnancy
It can quickly lead to bad-smelling urine during pregnancy, because in this time there is a significantly increased risk of a urinary tract infection. The reason for this is that the muscles of the ureter are relaxed due to the hormonal changes, which slow down the flow of urine from the kidneys to the bladder and make germs easier to ascend than usual.
Danger: If there is such an infection during pregnancy, special caution is required. Because a timely treatment, the kidneys can be affected quickly, which in turn can lead to premature birth or miscarriage in an emergency.
Cause diabetes mellitus
Another typical cause of unpleasant-smelling urine is the chronic metabolic disease diabetes mellitus, which is one of the world's most widespread diseases. The term "diabetes" subsumes various clinical pictures that have a common feature of permanently elevated blood sugar levels.
In general, the so-called diabetes mellitus distinguishes between Type I and Type II diabetes. In addition, there is the special form of "gestational diabetes" (gestational diabetes), which develops in about 5% of expectant mothers from about the 20th week of pregnancy, but usually disappears after birth itself.
Type I diabetes primarily affects children and adolescents. The cause is usually a severe damage to the pancreas, whereby the vital hormone insulin can no longer be produced adequately. Accordingly, in these cases, the necessary insulin must be administered by syringes, which - as the food intake - must be done according to a precise schedule in order to constantly provide the body with sufficient energy.
Unpleasant-smelling urine may indicate the metabolic disease diabetes mellitus. Of these, more and more children are already affected. (Image: S.Kobold / fotolia.com) However, type I diabetes affects only about 5% of all cases. The most common form is the type II variant, which accounts for over 90 percent of diabetes illnesses in Germany. In contrast to juvenile (adolescent) diabetes, this primarily affects the elderly ("adult onset diabetes"), but more and more children also suffer from type 2 diabetes.
On the one hand, Type II results from a reduced response of the body cells to insulin (insulin resistance). Hereditary predisposition, disturbed insulin secretion and disturbed production of certain intestinal hormones are also possible. In addition, the type II usually occurs in combination with high blood pressure, obesity (especially on the stomach) and lipid metabolism disorders. These physical changes are summarized under the name "metabolic syndrome" (also called "prosperity syndrome").
In diabetes, the symptoms depend on the stage in which the disease is located, with initially only mild or even no symptoms occurring in both forms. For example, severe thirst, headache, dizziness, fatigue, frequent urination and foul-smelling urine are typical. Furthermore, nausea and vomiting, cravings for sweets, severe itching or blurred vision such as eyelashes may occur.
Especially the type-II often runs long without clear symptoms, so that it is recognized only late. As a result, in many cases there are long-term health consequences such as poorly healing wounds and swollen feet ("diabetic foot"), diseases of the retina ("diabetic retinopathy"), nerve damage or even a heart attack.
In type I symptoms, however, in most cases occur much earlier, leading to weight loss, malaise, heavy thirst, and increased urination. It is also possible that as a result of extremely high blood sugar levels, a so-called "diabetic coma" (coma diabeticum) sets in with loss of consciousness.
Maple syrup urine disease
In very rare cases, the so-called "maple syrup disease" can be the trigger for unpleasant urine. This is also called "branched chain disease" or "leucosis". It is a congenital, non-sex-related (autosomal) and recessive inherited disorder in amino acid metabolism, whereby the protein building blocks (amino acids) leucine, isoleucine and valine can no longer be degraded accordingly. As a result, these amino acids and some breakdown products accumulate in all organs and body fluids. One of the breakdown products is reminiscent of maple syrup or Maggi wort in its smell.
In leucosis, the sweetish-spicy smell of urine is reminiscent of maple syrup. Therefore, the rare disease is also called "maple syrup disease". (Image: eskay lim / fotolia.com) The most common form of the disease occurs in the first few days of life and manifests itself mainly through vomiting, dehydration, lethargy, an unpleasant sweet-spicy urine smell, stiffening of the neck and breathing problems that can lead to unconsciousness and seizures. Accordingly, early detection and treatment of the disease is particularly important. Left untreated, maple syrup disease can lead to severe acidification of the body (ketoacidosis) with cardiovascular failure or respiratory arrest, potentially resulting in death.
In addition to the "classical" variant, the symptoms in the so-called intermediate form of leucosis appear only in infancy. Typical symptoms include recurrent vomiting, growth disorders, a delay in psychomotor development and various disorders of motor coordination (ataxia).
The "intermittent" form occurs only at the age of 12 to 24 months. In this case, those affected are often completely inconspicuous and have no physical, mental or neurological deficits. However, this changes in the case of abnormal metabolic pressures (fever, vaccinations, surgery, etc.) that cause symptoms such as ataxia, altered consciousness, coma or ketoacidosis, which can be fatal if left untreated.
Treatment of malodorous urine by urinary tract infection
If a urinary tract infection is the cause, the therapy is carried out depending on how and how it has developed. If there is a bacterial infection without further risk factors ("uncomplicated urinary tract infection"), an antibiotic is usually sufficient. If severe pain occurs, the doctor may prescribe pain relieving or anticonvulsant medications in parallel. Often already warmth (for example, hot water bottle, grain pillow) is very beneficial. It is important to drink enough fluid (at least two to three liters a day) to flush the urinary tract and to empty the bladder regularly despite the discomfort.
If it is a complicated or chronic infection, in some cases, a longer antibiotic therapy may be necessary. If other risk factors exist, such as diabetes, enlargement of the prostate or bladder stone, they must be eliminated as much as possible (for example, through surgery) to prevent a chronic infection.
If the urinary tract infection occurs during pregnancy, treatment must be as soon as possible. Non-treatment increases the risk of pyelonephritis, which in turn can lead to premature labor and, in the worst case, premature or miscarriage. Accordingly, for the first symptoms, such as a burning or stinging urination, a persistent urinary urgency or foul-smelling urine immediately a doctor should be consulted. For treatment, however, only certain antibiotics, e.g. Pivmecillinam to ensure that the health of the unborn child is not compromised.
Treatment for diabetes
The therapy of diabetes mellitus depends on the form of the disease. In general, the treatment goals in each case should be agreed individually between the patient and the doctor and checked regularly. Since Type 1 diabetes is an absolute insulin deficiency, sufferers must inject the vital hormone all their lives. Normal insulin as well as so-called "insulin analogues" are available here, where some amino acids are exchanged.
With a Type II, the treatment options are more complex. As this type is often based on overweight or obesity (obesity) associated with physical inactivity, diet modification and regular physical activity are key to achieving the central goal of weight loss. If these measures do not improve, blood sugar lowering drugs or later also insulin are used.
In the case of diabetes, blood pressure, blood sugar and lipid levels must be checked regularly by a doctor. (Image: Andrey Popov / fotolia.com) Above all, it is important that patients become aware that the success of the therapy is largely determined by their own actions. Although diabetes is not curable, extensive diabetes education can help to significantly increase the quality of life and life expectancy of patients through advice and information on diet, diet, exercise and medication. Accordingly, the individually tailored therapeutic measures should be firmly and permanently integrated into everyday life and implemented responsibly. Furthermore, blood sugar and lipid levels as well as blood pressure must be continuously monitored by the attending physician.
Therapy maple syrup disease
In the acute therapy of leucosis, the reduction of the concentrations of damaging amino acids is in the center, in addition, the formation of toxic degradation products must be avoided. To achieve this, normally the protein intake is stopped by the food for a maximum of two days, parallel to the administration of high-energy substances such as glucose. In most cases, artificial nutrition (via infusion) and sometimes a blood wash (dialysis procedure) are necessary to reduce the amino acid leucine and its toxic degradation products.
Since the three protein building blocks leucine, isoleucine and valine in Maple syrup urine disease (English "maple syrup urine disease") can not be properly degraded, but at the same time are vital, they must be supplied to the body in spite of illness in a sufficient amount. The long-term or continuous treatment therefore consists in a low-protein diet and the targeted and complementary inclusion of special leucine, isoleucine and valine-free amino acid mixtures, which are enriched with trace elements, vitamins and salts.
The necessary diet means for the patients a waiver of particularly protein-rich foods such as milk or dairy products (cottage cheese, cheese, yogurt, etc.), meat, eggs and nuts. Instead, the diet should consist mainly of fruits, vegetables, potatoes, rice and protein-reduced baked goods, pasta, etc..
Naturopathy with unpleasant smelling urine
If the urine smells unpleasant, there is no need for a drug therapy in every case. Instead, naturopathy can often offer an effective alternative or support to alleviate the discomfort. Often stinking urine indicates a dehydrated state of the body, as well as larger quantities of garlic, fish, onions, asparagus, alcohol and eggs may be responsible for the unusually bad smell. As a result, it often helps to drink as much water as possible (at least two to three liters a day) to cleanse the urinary tract and provide the body with enough fluids.
If foods such as garlic or fish are responsible for the unpleasant urine smell, it usually helps to drink plenty of water. (Image: sebra / fotolia.com) If there is a urinary tract infection, in addition to water and unsweetened tea especially special bladder and kidney teas with extracts of medicinal plants such as stinging nettle, birch or juniper, by which the urine production is stimulated. An infusion of bearberry leaves (Arctostaphylos uva-ursi) has a disinfecting and antibacterial effect. Cranberry juice from the health food store or the pharmacy can be helpful as it can reduce the number of bacteria in the bladder area and prevent the seizure of new bacteria.
Homeopathy with uncomplicated urinary tract infection
If it is an "uncomplicated infection" without further risk factors such. a bladder stone or a prostate silk, homeopathy can help. Depending on which complaints exist, very different means are used here. For example, Belladonna has been proven to be effective when lying or standing and urinating frequently. If there are severe burning and / or stabbing pains during urination parallel to the constant urination, Cantharis vesicatoria ("Spanish fly") and Apis mellifica are suitable.
With a rather dull pain and large amounts of light urine without a sense of relief, Horsetail (Equisteum arvense) can help. In case of severe discomfort at the end of bladder emptying or chronic infections of the urinary tract, experts recommend Sarsaparilla.
Important: Which remedy is the right one for each individual case, as well as the individual dosage and duration of use should always be discussed in advance with a non-medical practitioner, pharmacist or naturopathic doctor.
Proven home remedies for smelly urine
For the natural treatment of a urinary tract infection, there are a number of other home remedies for cystitis. Often, even a simple hot water bottle is very beneficial, which is placed depending on the painful area, for example, on the stomach, between the legs or on the lower back and so directly helps to solve the cramps in the abdomen and bladder.
Heat has a beneficial effect on cystitis. (Image: absolutimages / fotolia.com) An envelope with the so-called Swedish bitters (Swedish herbs) also has a relaxing effect on the muscles of the bladder and can therefore positively influence the healing process.
| Swedish herb envelope against cystitis You need:
To prevent skin irritation, the region around the pubis is first creamed well with the ointment. Then the kitchen crepe or the cotton wool is soaked with the herbs and placed on the affected area. If necessary, a piece of plastic wrap may be placed over it to protect clothing and bedding. This also helps keep the moisture in the cotton for longer. At the end, cover it with a warm cloth and leave the envelope on the painful area for about 2 to 4 hours. If this is removed again, the skin should be powdered for reassurance. Important: If irritation still occurs, it usually helps, if it pauses for a while and the run time is shortened the next time. |
Among the medicinal plants that can be used effectively in a urinary tract infection, include birch leaves, bearberry leaves, goldenrod and Hauhechelwurzel. A tea from these herbs supports the flushing out of pathogens, has a relaxing and anti-inflammatory effect.
Recipe for kidney and bladder tea
Bring the water to a boil. Mix the herbs, put two teaspoons in a cup and brew with the boiling water. Let the infusion draw for 10 minutes, strain and drink in small sips. |
In the field of hydrotherapy, malodorous urine due to bladder infection is considered to be an invigorating hip bath as a helpful procedure. Schüssler salts are also well-suited for the treatment of an acute urinary tract infection. Salts No.3 (Ferrum Phosphoricum) and No 9 (Sodium Phosphoricum) are used here. (nr, last updated on 8.2.2017)
Specialist supervision: Barbara Schindewolf-Lensch (doctor) 