Why does urine smell like ammonia and what to do?

The smell of urine is affected by the concentration of substances excreted from the body, diet and other factors. 1.5 - 2 liters of urine are excreted from the body per day, usually fresh urine has almost no smell, when drinking coffee, garlic, horseradish, urine can acquire a slight characteristic smell.

If the body is dehydrated, which happens with a lack of fluid, intense sweating, diarrhea, vomiting, swelling, the urine smells like ammonia.

Causes ammoniacal urine odor

The main reasons for the appearance of urine odor include lack of fluid in the body, diet, medication, bacterial diseases of the genitourinary system, and prolonged urinary retention in the body.

A person should drink 1.5-2 liters of clean water per day; if the body lacks fluid, metabolic products accumulate, which causes the specific smell of urine.

But the most common reasons why urine smells like ammonia include infectious diseases of the urinary system (bacteria cause inflammatory processes, which results in sediment, darkening, turbidity and the appearance of a characteristic odor).

Urine smells like ammonia in a child

If a child smells ammonia in their urine, you should immediately seek medical help and take the necessary tests. The characteristic smell of urine in a child appears for the same reasons as in an adult; in childhood, urine smells like ammonia more often due to a lack of vitamin D, which also manifests itself in poor appetite, sweaty palms, capricious behavior, and excess body weight.

The characteristic smell of a baby's urine may be related to the mother's diet, most likely, the woman abuses meat products, cabbage, seafood. During feeding, it is necessary to follow a diet, take a vitamin complex.

A number of experts believe that the smell of ammonia appears on poorly washed baby clothes and is not associated with any pathological processes. This can be determined quite simply - compare the smell on the clothes and fresh urine of the child. If the difference is clear, then you should wash the baby clothes more thoroughly, if the difference is insignificant and is observed for more than 3 days, a specialist consultation is necessary.

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Urine smells like ammonia in an adult

In an adult, the smell of ammonia often indicates diseases of the urinary system:

• urethritis (in addition to the fact that the urine smells like ammonia, urination becomes painful, and blood clots appear in the urine)
• cystitis (accompanied by frequent urge to urinate)
• pyelonephritis, pyelitis (develop more often against the background of weakened immunity as a secondary disease)
• Infectious diseases – often cause not only a specific odor from the genitals, but also a change in the color and consistency of urine.
• systemic diseases (renal failure, tuberculosis, diabetes, etc.)
• Cancerous tumors often cause changes in the color, consistency, and smell of urine
• Adenoma and prostatitis make urination difficult, which causes urine stagnation and an unpleasant odor.

Urine smells like ammonia during pregnancy

During pregnancy, urine normally has virtually no odor. An ammonia smell may indicate dehydration, and a woman should increase the amount of water she drinks per day.

If the water regime is established, but the urine smells of ammonia, there may be a failure in metabolic processes, which led to the accumulation of acetoacetic acid and acetone in the body. In this case, the woman is also concerned about low blood pressure, weight loss, and poor health.

The characteristic smell of urine during pregnancy can occur against the background of the development of diabetes, with a low-carbohydrate diet.

The smell of ammonia may be due to high levels of white blood cells, bacterial or purulent infections (indicated by cloudy urine).

An increase in the level of leukocytes can occur due to inflammatory processes in the genitals, cystitis, inflammation of the kidneys, and urethra.

Finally, a specific smell of urine in a pregnant woman can be caused by food, certain medications or vitamins.

Diagnostics ammoniacal urine odor

Diagnosis of conditions in which urine smells like ammonia depends on the disease that caused the characteristic odor. First of all, the doctor prescribes a urine test, which will show the level of leukocytes, erythrocytes and other elements, sediment, impurities.

Further diagnostics depend on the pathology that the doctor suspects; a blood test or ultrasound may be prescribed.

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Treatment ammoniacal urine odor

Treatment primarily depends on the cause of the characteristic ammonia smell.

As already mentioned, the most common cause of a strong smell of urine is dehydration, which can occur due to illness (especially with high fever, vomiting, diarrhea) or in hot weather. In this case, it is necessary to increase the amount of liquid you drink per day; if the situation is neglected, you may need medical assistance, taking special saline solutions (Regidron).

Less often, the reason why urine smells like ammonia may be various disorders in the body caused by diseases such as diabetes, inflammation of the kidneys, bladder. Usually, in addition to the smell of ammonia, other symptoms are observed in such cases - abdominal pain, frequent urination, increased body temperature.

What to do if urine smells like ammonia?

If you notice that your urine smells like ammonia, but there are no other symptoms (abdominal pain, fatigue, fever, etc.), you should increase the amount of liquid you drink per day, perhaps the characteristic smell is caused by dehydration. Some foods may also be the cause of the smell, in which case the ammonia smell will gradually disappear.

In other cases, you should seek help from a specialist and undergo an examination; medical assistance is also required in cases where the water regime has been established, but the ammonia smell remains.

Prevention

Since urine smells like ammonia most often due to dehydration, the main preventive methods are proper water regimen, i.e. you need to drink 1.5-2 liters of clean water per day.

Forecast

The prognosis depends on the cause of the ammonia smell of urine. In case of dehydration, the prognosis is favorable in most cases; after normalization of the water regime, the condition improves, the characteristic smell disappears. If urine smells like ammonia due to illness, the prognosis depends on the stage and nature of the disease, as well as the timeliness of the treatment.

Urine smells like ammonia due to pathological processes in the body, but self-medication in this case is unacceptable, especially in childhood. A routine urine test, which is prescribed by a specialist first of all, will allow you to identify existing diseases at an early stage and prevent serious complications.

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