Body odor can be a symptom of certain diseases, such as hyperhidrosis, diabetes, trimethylaminuria, and phenylketonuria. Proper treatment and management can help control body odor and prevent further health complications. Consultation with a healthcare professional is recommended.
The primary connection between body odor and disease lies in the area of symptomatic side effects. Body odor can be a secondary symptom of a specific disease, so it is usually possible to control this type of problem under the care of a doctor. The best way for a person to determine if persistent body odor is occurring due to disease rather than the presence of bacteria or hormonal changes is to learn more about the disease, pay attention to changes in body odor, and report those changes to a health care professional. doctor.
The best known correlation between body odor and disease occurs in patients suffering from hyperhidrosis, also known as excessive sweating. Although hyperhidrosis is a serious condition most of the time, its most common side effects are dampness and increased body odor. The best forms of odor prevention for people suffering from this disease are frequent bathing combined with the use of antiperspirants, deodorants, and occasionally anticholinergic drug therapies.
People with diabetes may notice recurring changes in body odor symptoms. In most cases, the cause of bad body odor in diabetics comes from improper blood sugar control, which could lead to ketoacidosis or elevated ketone bodies in the blood or body tissues. To prevent this type of connection between body odor and disease, diabetic patients should strictly adhere to prescribed treatment plans designed to control and maintain blood sugar levels.
A rare connection between body odor and disease is trimethylaminuria, a genetic disorder in which the body is unable to process a compound called trimethylamine. When this compound builds up in body tissue, the affected person often emits an unpleasant body odor that smells strongly of rotting fish. Most often, trimethylaminuria results from autosomal recessive mutations in the FMO3 gene, but occasionally the culprit is kidney disease, dietary proteins — such as those from eggs, legumes or fish — or an increase in trimethylamine-causing bacteria in the digestive system .
Another disease that causes unpleasant body odor is phenylketonuria (PKU), a rare metabolic disorder that can damage the nervous system and cause mental retardation. Many parents are familiar with this disease because the first test a newborn will receive is often the PKU test, usually done shortly after birth with a blood sample taken from the baby’s heel. Aside from its more severe symptoms, people who have PKU often exude a musty body odor due to an overabundance of the amino acid phenylalanine.
Other cases of body odor and illness might occur symptomatically in people suffering from liver disease, alcoholism, or fungal infections. Dietary imbalances and mineral deficiencies can also cause body odor. Consultations with a doctor or other healthcare professional might help find out the reasons behind a change in body odor.
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