The smell of illness: what does the body smell like with a particular pathology?

The smell of a person, pixabay.com A well-known saying goes: “There are no healthy people, only underexamined ones.” All people have pathologies, features that may interfere with the life process or not affect it. How healthy a person is depends on his lifestyle. It is important to consult a doctor if something is bothering you. Because even from a mild cold, as statistics show, you can die.

It is also worth listening to the body’s signals, general well-being and mood. These indicators can detect the disease in time and help get rid of it.

One of the first signs that there are dysfunctions of organ systems is an unpleasant odor of the skin. This nuance worries 72% of the Russian population. But don’t forget that most often your skin smells not because of sweat. The main reason for the strong smell is toxins and bacteria inside people. Sweat appears in processes: thermoregulation, during sports, during stress, fear, and this is a normal reaction of the body. But if human sweat gives off a strange, disgusting and sour odor on a constant basis, it’s worth thinking about where the symptoms come from, figuring out how to get rid of it and eliminate it.

Whether this can be done or not, we have to find out.

• Normal skin odor.
• Causes of unpleasant odor from the skin and body.
• Body odor and illness: what do illnesses smell like?
• Strange body odor, who to contact and what to do?

Interesting fact:

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For the Negroid race, the Caucasian race smells unpleasant. And vice versa, African nations smell disgusting to white people. Kenyans have a particularly strong smell, but unlike us, this is a feature of their body. Europeans, on the other hand, smell “not very good” most often due to poor nutrition and lifestyle in general.

The finding comes from a survey of Kenyan and European runners who sometimes share hotel rooms during races.

We remind you that our material is informative. If you have any problems with your health, odors or illnesses, consult a doctor immediately. The article will help to find out and establish possible causes and symptoms, but only a doctor will conduct a full diagnosis and prescribe the correct treatment.

Bad breath: physiology or disease?

Bad breath

in medical language it is called
halitosis
.
There are physiological and pathological halitosis. Bad breath often appears in the morning. During the night, bacteria and their metabolic products accumulate in the mouth, which causes a bad odor. This type of halitosis is physiological and can be eliminated by simply brushing your teeth. Physiological halitosis also includes odor caused by eating a number of foods, such as garlic, onions, cabbage. This smell will disappear on its own as soon as the substances that caused it are eliminated from the body. But it also happens that an unpleasant odor is not eliminated using hygiene procedures; in this case, most likely, it is of a pathological nature.

Foul-smelling stool and fever

First, the patient experiences profuse vomiting containing particles of undigested food, after which the temperature rises (up to 39°-40°), foul diarrhea occurs, and symptoms of dehydration increase. General signs of intoxication, which include lack of appetite, nausea, drowsiness and weakness, persist with intestinal infections for 3-5 days, after which improvement occurs.

Treatment of any intestinal infections and poisoning is always comprehensive. The basis is detoxification and rehydration therapy. One of the dangers of dehydration is the rapid leaching of potassium and magnesium ions, which can lead to acute heart failure, therefore an important task in the treatment of ACI is the restoration of water and electrolyte balance. Further treatment is carried out using the following drugs:

• antidiarrheals (“Lopedium”, “Diara”, “Loperamide”);
• centrally acting drugs to stop vomiting (“Cerucal”);
• antimicrobial drugs with a broad spectrum of action (“Nifuroxazide”, “Enterofuril”);
• probiotics and prebiotics to populate the intestines with beneficial bacteria and restore the normal balance of microflora (Linex, Bifiform);
• antiviral drugs for viral infections (Ergoferon, Arbidol);
• antispasmodics to eliminate paroxysmal intestinal spasms (“Drotaverine”, “Spazmol”).

For the entire period of treatment, the patient is prescribed a gentle diet, excluding dairy products, chips and crackers with flavors, fatty, spicy and fried foods. Note! With properly selected therapy, normalization of stool should occur on the fifth day of treatment.

Treatment of any intestinal infections and poisoning is always comprehensive. The basis is detoxification and rehydration therapy. One of the dangers of dehydration is the rapid leaching of potassium and magnesium ions, which can lead to acute heart failure, therefore an important task in the treatment of ACI is the restoration of water and electrolyte balance.

• antidiarrheals;
• centrally acting drugs to stop vomiting;
• antimicrobial drugs with a broad spectrum of action;
• probiotics and prebiotics to populate the intestines with beneficial bacteria and restore the normal balance of microflora;
• antiviral drugs for viral infections;
• antispasmodics to eliminate paroxysmal intestinal spasms

If the cause of the strange smell of stool is poor digestion, the patient will have to follow a special diet. It is necessary to remove smoked foods, fatty meats, spices and hot sauces from the diet. Another important condition is complete abstinence from alcohol.

Bad breath: causes

The most common cause of unpleasant odor is the active activity of pathological bacteria in the oral cavity. Diseases such as caries, periodontitis, pulpitis, periodontitis, gingivitis, stomatitis, as well as the formation of tartar can lead to persistent bad breath.

The second place among the causes of unpleasant odor is dry mouth (the medical term is xerostomia

). Mica, which moisturizes our mouth, has bactericidal properties. It kills bacteria, neutralizes their waste products, rinses and cleanses the oral cavity. If there is not enough saliva produced, bacteria are activated, resulting in an odor. Dry mouth can be a consequence of illness or taking a number of medications. It can also be caused by age: over time, the salivary glands begin to work less intensively, the composition of saliva changes, and its antibacterial properties are lost.

The smell can also be caused by ENT diseases: sore throat, chronic tonsillitis, sinusitis, runny nose.

Another cause of unpleasant odor is diseases of the internal organs. It can be:

• renal failure;
• liver failure;
• gastric diseases (gastritis, stomach ulcer);
• lung diseases.

Smoking is also a cause of persistent bad breath. The smell is caused by substances contained in tobacco smoke and deposited in the oral cavity. The only way to eliminate the unpleasant odor in this case is to quit smoking.

Allergic reaction of the body

This kind of reaction of the body is expressed in the body’s refusal to accept certain foods. The most common allergens are:

• chocolate;
• cocoa and products containing it;
• fish;
• seafood;
• honey;
• citrus;
• cow's milk.

In addition to diarrhea and foul-smelling stools, a person is bothered by dry and itchy skin, mucus flowing from the nasal passages and tears from the eyes. Enzyme deficiency also affects the smell of stool. Poor nutrition, as well as the presence of congenital pathologies in which certain elements are not absorbed by the intestines, can cause a lack of enzymes, due to which food is fully digested. As a result, a foul odor emanates from the stool.

Enzyme deficiency

Enzymopathy is a pathology in which the production of digestive enzymes necessary for the absorption and breakdown of certain products is partially or completely stopped. It can be congenital or occur as a result of various disorders in the functioning of internal organs. One of the forms of fermentopathy in adults is lactase deficiency - a lack of the enzyme responsible for the absorption of milk sugar. Symptoms of lactase deficiency in patients over 18 years of age may include abdominal pain, foamy or watery stools with a strong, foul odor, and weight loss associated with poor absorption of milk protein.

All signs of pathology appear mainly after consuming fermented milk products or products based on whole cow's milk. It should be noted that true lactase deficiency is rarely diagnosed - such patients are forced to adhere to a special diet throughout their lives that excludes dairy products. Temporary lactase deficiency is treated with enzyme preparations (Lactazar, Lactase).

What is bad breath like?

Peculiarities of odor can indirectly indicate the source of problems.

Hydrogen sulfide smell

(the smell of rotten eggs) indicates rotting protein substances. This smell is typical for digestive problems. A persistent hydrogen sulfide odor may indicate gastritis with low acidity or a stomach ulcer.

Sourish smell

and a corresponding taste in the mouth is noted with gastritis with high acidity. This smell may appear at an early stage of the disease, when other symptoms are not yet present.

Bitter smell

and the taste in the mouth is typical of liver and gallbladder diseases. An additional symptom is the appearance of a yellow coating on the tongue.

Smell of acetone

and the accompanying sweet taste in the mouth is a characteristic symptom of diabetes.

Urine smell

from the mouth indicates a disease of the genitourinary system (primarily the kidneys or bladder).

Stool smell

from the mouth can occur due to intestinal diseases (dysbacteriosis, intestinal dyskinesia, intestinal obstruction).

Putrefactive

bad breath is typical for dental diseases (inflammatory processes of teeth and gums).

Treatment of gardnerellosis

The cause of vaginal discharge with a rotten herring odor may be due to the presence of gardnerella. Treatment of the disease is carried out in several stages:

1. Antibacterial therapy, which can be carried out with such oral drugs as Metronidazole, Ornidazole, Clindamycin, and vaginal creams and suppositories - Flagyl, Neo-Penotran, Terzhinan. The dosage is prescribed individually, taking into account the characteristics of the patient’s body, as well as the course of the disease. Therapy is possible with either one antibiotic of your choice or a combination of several.
2. Probiotic therapy is necessary to restore normal vaginal microflora. For these purposes, medications such as Vagilak (capsules), Lactobacterin (tampons), and Acylact (suppositories) are used.

After each course of treatment, a control smear from the vagina is prescribed, which checks the effect of the therapy. Normally, gardnerella should not be detected.

Bad breath: what to do?

The fight against bad breath begins with careful adherence to good oral hygiene. If the source of the odor is bacterial activity, proper brushing of your teeth will help. Teeth should be brushed not only from the outside, but also from the inside, and also treat the chewing surface of the teeth. The brush angle should be 45°. Using dental floss, hard-to-reach areas between teeth are treated. If your teeth are in poor condition, simply brushing your teeth will not solve the problem. You will need to visit a dentist and remove tartar, and if your teeth have caries, cure them. It is recommended to visit the dentist at least once or twice a year.

It is also necessary to combat dryness of the oral mucosa. If you feel dry mouth, take a few sips of water and rinse your mouth. However, it should be remembered that frequent dry mouth can be a symptom of serious diseases. However, like the unpleasant smell itself. Therefore, if you have persistent bad breath, you should definitely see a doctor and undergo an examination.

A few words at the end

In addition to the sour stench of feces, a putrid odor may appear, which is characteristic of people suffering from constipation. A faint odor indicates that an accelerated process of fecal evacuation is occurring in the small intestine. And if the smell resembles the aroma of rancid oil, then most likely the process of decomposition of fats has been activated in the intestines. In most cases, getting rid of foul-smelling stool is quite simple by adjusting your diet. In addition, it is recommended to cook food well (boil, fry or stew well), wash food thoroughly and avoid bacterial infections. You should carefully monitor your personal hygiene; it is better to avoid drinking unpasteurized milk. You should not cut vegetables and meat on the same board. Be sure to wash your hands after going to the toilet

Possible complications

If you do not promptly treat the smell of rotten fish from the vagina, then the following unpleasant consequences may appear in the future:

• infertility, which can occur when a large number of adhesions form on the uterus and fallopian tubes;
• cervical erosion;
• chronic inflammation;
• endometriosis;
• diseases of the urinary tract, including kidneys;
• menstrual irregularities.

These diseases can manifest as pain and discomfort in the lower abdomen, which can significantly impair the quality of life.

Treatment with folk remedies

Diseases that provoke the appearance of vaginal discharge with the smell of rotten fish cannot be cured by resorting only to alternative medicine, but with their help the condition can be significantly alleviated. The most commonly used recipes are:

1. 20 g of dried wormwood must be infused in 250 ml of boiling water for 3 hours, take the infusion 2 times a day in the amount of 1 tbsp. spoons.
2. A decoction of 100 g of dried chamomile should be poured into 3 liters of clean water and simmered over low heat for 15 minutes. The finished medicine is used to rinse the genitals in the morning and evening.
3. Pour 40 g of pine buds into 3 liters of water, cook over low heat for half an hour, and then leave for 1 hour. The resulting product is used to make sitz baths.
4. Pour 20 g of dried crushed lovage root into 250 ml of boiling water and leave covered until it cools completely. After which the finished product must be taken 50 g daily.

In addition, experts recommend using tea tree oil for washing, which must be added to warm water. It has anti-inflammatory and antibactericidal effects.

Also, washing the external genital organs can be done using a weak solution of potassium permanganate or baking soda.

Despite the obvious positive effect of such procedures, before starting it is necessary to consult a gynecologist in order not to aggravate the situation. Also, alternative medicine can only be an addition to the main treatment.

Therapy for colpitis

How to treat rotten vaginal odor? If it was provoked by colpitis, then therapy should include the following points:

1. Treatment of the causative agent of the disease. If colpitis is bacterial in nature, then antibiotics are used - Doxycycline, Cephalexin, Azithromycin. If the disease is caused by fungi, then drugs such as Fluconazole and Nystatin are prescribed. For viral pathogens, the drugs Acyclovir and Interferon are used.
2. To restore the acidic microflora of the vagina and alleviate the condition, vaginal suppositories are used - Hexicon, Iodoxide, Macmiror.

With colpitis, women often suffer from a lack of vitamins, so a special diet is recommended that is aimed at maintaining the immune system, as well as taking vitamin complexes in the form of tablets.