Abnormal urinary odor

What it means

A deviation from the normal odor of the urine.

Urine does not usually have a strong smell, but the odor may be altered by a number of factors including some diseases. Foul-smelling urine may be due to bacteria that have caused a urinary tract infection. Sweet-smelling urine may be a sign of uncontrolled diabetes or more rarely a disease of metabolism. Liver disease and certain metabolic disorders may cause musty-smelling urine.

Rare diseases that can present with this2

The range is how often this sign appears among people diagnosed with each disease — it is not a probability of having any of them. Many of these signs also occur in common, non-rare conditions. A sign on this page is a conversation to have with a clinician, not a conclusion.

Part of the broader category