In most cases, a simple bath, deodorant or a drop of fresh mint toothpaste can resolve the situation. But in other cases it is not easy.
That’s because the smell can tell a lot about your health. In fact, some diseases can cause a unique and special smell, according to a recent Swedish study.
So what funny dust will you see? Here are 5 body odors that could indicate a serious problem – and what to do if you start to smell it.
- Bad breath is a symptom of sleep apnea
If your morning breath is always soft—even if you brush your teeth regularly—you may have undiagnosed sleep apnea, a disorder that causes breathing to stop and start at -long periods of sleep.
Sleep apnea can cause excessive snoring, causing you to breathe through your mouth throughout the night. This can cause a very dry mouth, which is a common cause of shortness of breath, says Raj Dasgupta, MD, assistant professor of clinical medicine at the University of Southern California.
This allows bacteria to multiply quickly—and when some strains multiply, they produce sulfurous gases that can make your breath smell like rotten eggs. If you’ve discovered other causes of bad breath but still wake up with bad sleep and daytime sleepiness and snoring, make an appointment with your doctor. As Dr. According to Dasgupta, sleep patterns are closely related to diabetes, high blood pressure and heart disease, so addressing it sooner rather than later can save you from long-term health effects.
Once diagnosed, your sleep doctor may recommend a continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) machine, which is a mask that fits over your nose and mouth to help keep your airways open while you sleep. sleeping.
- Bad breath is a symptom of diabetes
This is due to a complication of diabetes called diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA), which occurs when your body’s insulin levels drop and your blood sugar rises, Robert Gabay, MD, PhD, said the medical director at the Joslin Diabetes Center in Boston. People with type 1 diabetes are more likely to develop diabetes than people with type 2 diabetes.
Here’s what happens: The body can’t produce the energy it needs to function properly, so it starts breaking down fatty acids for energy. This leads to an increase in acidic chemicals called ketones in the blood. say it. You may not notice it until someone else mentions it, but doctors can smell it as soon as it walks into the room.
The effects of DKA are serious – they can be fatal. He says that this can cause frequent vomiting and urination, causing you to become dehydrated.
Diabetic ketoacidosis often has other symptoms of diabetes, such as fatigue, blurred vision, and unexplained weight loss, but many people do not experience these symptoms, delaying diagnosis and treatment. . So, if you notice a bad smell on your breath and any of these symptoms – especially if it’s accompanied by fatigue, dry mouth, shortness of breath or abdominal pain – go to the emergency room as soon as possible, the American Diabetes Association recommends.
After your doctor tests your blood for ketones, he will work to replace the lost water and normalize your sugar levels with insulin therapy.
- Smelly feet is a symptom of athletes
Don’t you feel like you’re fighting against a funny sneaker? The cause may be a fungal infection. According to the American Podiatric Medical Association (APMA), if you notice dry, scaly skin around your toes, redness and sores, you may have athlete’s foot.
Foot odor can also be caused by a combination of bacteria and fungi that eat away at the skin and tissue of the toes, says Cameron Rokhsar, MD, an assistant professor of dermatology at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York. But if you rub your feet and touch another part of your body, you can spread athlete’s foot to other parts of your body, like your legs or arms. This can also cause odors in these areas to appear as well.
In addition, if you neglect athlete’s foot, the skin between the webs of your toes becomes softer and becomes a breeding ground for bacteria, Dr. Rokhsar says. Complicated conditions can develop, such as cellulitis, which is an infection of the soft tissue of the skin.
So, if you have symptoms, try to spread an antifungal medication over it. If the problem persists after two weeks, your doctor may take a closer look and provide more targeted treatment, according to the APMA.
Since athlete’s foot is just one of the worst skin conditions you can catch in the gym, you can protect yourself from getting it again by wearing protective shoes. . Since fungus thrives in moist environments, try using talcum powder to dry your feet if you sweat.
