The doctor warned about possible illnesses with a pungent smell of sweat.

The smell of sweat is considered to be a sign of poor hygiene. But this is not always the case. Even with regular hygiene procedures and a change of clothes, the smell may be too strong. Sometimes this indicates malfunctions in the body. Ekaterina Demyanovskaya, an expert at the Hemotest laboratory, told Izvestia on July 29 when a pungent odor is a variant of the norm, and when to be wary.

Sweating is an important physiological process, with the help of sweat, the body regulates body temperature, maintains water-salt balance, and removes some of the metabolic products.

"There are two types of sweat glands in human skin: eccrine and apocrine. The former are present on the skin almost all over the body, they produce a clear, watery sweat that is almost odorless. The latter are located mainly in the armpits and groin area. Their secret is thicker and contains proteins and fats. They become a breeding ground for the growth of bacteria. Decomposing sweat components, bacteria produce volatile compounds — sulfur-containing substances, ammonia. This creates the characteristic smell of sweat. Its intensity depends on many factors: the composition of sweat, skin microflora, hormonal background, nutrition and metabolism," explains the doctor.

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She explained that the smell of sweat is not always the same — it can change throughout the day and with age, with changes in diet or lifestyle. For example, after a workout, the smell becomes more acidic and pungent due to the release of lactic acid. In adolescents, sweat may smell stronger due to activation of the apocrine sweat glands as a result of hormonal changes. The smell of sweat can also change when taking certain medications — antibiotics, antidepressants. Even food (garlic, spicy spices, alcohol) affects how sweat smells. Such changes, according to the doctor, are physiological.

However, sometimes a sharp, unusual or unpleasant odor of sweat can be a sign of illness. For example, with severe liver disorders (hepatitis, cirrhosis), a characteristic sweet-musty odor from the body and exhaled air may appear. It is associated with the accumulation and release of metabolic products that the liver does not have time to remove from the body. With chronic kidney failure, the smell of sweat can give off ammonia. Sweat can also change the smell in diabetes mellitus, hyperthyroidism (increased thyroid function), and some rare genetic diseases. All these violations should by no means be ignored — they can lead to the most serious health consequences, Demyanovskaya warned.

"In most cases, such violations are difficult to miss, and the peculiar smell of sweat is not the only symptom that occurs. Therefore, if there are no other symptoms, there are no known chronic diseases, then you should not immediately panic and come up with terrible diagnoses for yourself," the doctor says.

However, she clarified that if the smell suddenly became more pungent, and the usual hygiene products stopped helping, it makes sense to consult a doctor as planned and undergo an examination to check the functioning of the kidneys and liver, metabolism, hormonal profile. It is especially worth being wary if other signs of malaise appear — increased fatigue, nausea, thirst, darkening of urine, discoloration of the skin and sclera.

On July 24, Elena Fedorova, an endocrinologist at JSC "Medicine" (Academician Roitberg Clinic), told Izvestia that hypoglycemia is a condition caused by a sharp decrease in blood glucose levels. This phenomenon can be manifested by excessive sweating during sleep and other alarming signs: unreasonable feeling of panic, trembling in the body, rapid heartbeat, severe hunger, dizziness and general weakness.

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