| Sweet or fruity odour | Ketoacidosis (Diabetic, alcoholic, starvation) Maple syrup urine disease (infants, rare) |
| Ammoniacal odour | Bladder retention Urine at room temperature for prolonged period (“alkaline fermentaion”) Bacterial infection |
| Faecal odour | Bladder-Intestinal fistula E. coli infection Contamination with feces |
| Musty odour | Phenylketonuria |
| Sulfur odour | Cysteine decomposition Suppurative diseases of the GU tract |
| Faintly Aromatic | Volatile organic acids most marked in “concentrated” urine specimens |
| Swimming pool odour | Hawkinsinuria |
| Mousy odour Cabbage-like odour |
Tyrosinemia |
| Drugs and diet | Characteristic odour of many drugs such as antibiotics (e.g. penicillins); food (e.g. asparagus) |
About Mike Cadogan
