The appearance of the smell of acetone from an adult person is an alarming sign, which can mean the presence of a serious disease or metabolic processes in the body.
Where in the body acetone
Acetone belongs to the group of ketones, or, properly speaking, ketone bodies. This group of substances is formed in the liver as a result of the conversion of fats.
After this, ketones enter the cells of all tissues of the body with blood, where some of them serve as a material for building new substances( cholesterol, amino acids, phospholipids).The other part breaks down into carbon dioxide and water, and then it is excreted through the kidneys, skin and lungs.
In case of violations in this complex exchange chain, the amount of ketone bodies can exceed the permissible standards, and then the skin, urine and the mouth of a man smells like acetone.
What is the smell of acetone from the mouth is well known to most young mothers. When a small child is sick, for example, with a viral infection, the necessary glucose reserves exhaust themselves quickly enough and then the energy source becomes fats and proteins. Fats are split, ketone bodies are formed, there is an acetone smell.
In the muscles and liver of an adult, there is always a supply of sugars that will easily replenish the body's losses with a minor viral infection. And, if there is a smell of acetone from the mouth, the reasons can be varied, so there is a need to conduct a survey with a doctor.
The main causes of acetone odor
The odor of acetone from the mouth may appear due to several reasons:
- nutritional and lifestyle errors;
- deficiency in carbohydrate nutrition;
- excess in the diet of fat and protein;
- depletion;
- obesity;
- intensive physical activity;
- fasting;
- endocrine diseases;
- kidney disease;
- chronic diseases of the digestive system;
- intoxication.
Nutritional and lifestyle errors
This group combines all the causes of the odor of acetone from the mouth, which are not associated with the presence of any disease.
When a person is obese, or fatty and protein foods predominate in food, the mechanism of increased formation of ketone bodies is quite logical. Excess fats always, one way or another, will provoke an excessive amount of ketones. That's why a person can smell of acetone. In this case, a reasonable correction of weight and nutrition will easily help to quickly solve the problem.
But, now, in addition to excess weight, there is another, no less serious problem. This craze for diets, starvation, the desire to minimize your weight, down to exhaustion and anorexia. The most popular among all existing diets now are:
- low-carb;
- non-carbohydrate;
- the so-called "drying";
- protein-carbohydrate interleaving;
- ketogenic diet.
All these food systems imply almost complete or significant restriction in the nutrition of any carbohydrates, be it vegetables, fruits, cereals, not to mention the so-called fast sugars such as sweet and flour. Ketogenic diet, in addition, offers to add to the diet an increased amount of fats of animal origin.
Losing thus people deliberately enter themselves into the state of ketosis. Maximum in three days all glycogen reserves are used completely, and the energy needs of the body begin to be satisfied with the help of fats.
In addition to a similar style of nutrition, losing weight on non-carbohydrate diets promotes exercise in the gym for several hours every day.
As a result of this lifestyle, in addition to a really significant fat loss, a person gets brain intoxication with ketone bodies, a number of problems with kidneys, liver, gall bladder and, in fact, the smell of acetone from the mouth and from the body.
Endocrine diseases
The odor of acetone from the mouth may appear due to diabetes or thyrotoxicosis.
Diabetes mellitus
In type 1 diabetes, the pancreas does not produce enough insulin and the blood sugar is not disposed of properly. At the second type of diabetes( diabetes of adults and elderly people) insulin is enough, but the tissues simply do not absorb glucose. As a result, the cells of the body do not receive the necessary carbohydrate nutrition, all the sugar remains in the blood, and uses fat and proteins of to replenish energy losses. All this explains why:
- smells of acetone in the exhaled air;
- profuse urination, with the help of which excess sugar is excreted;
- strong thirst for replenishment of water loss.
Patients with diabetes usually know about their disease and take a number of measures to prevent the occurrence of carbohydrate fasting cells. The appearance of the odor of acetone in this disease may indicate the approach of a hyperglycemic coma, which, if not given timely assistance, could threaten the patient's death.
Thyrotoxicosis
When thyroid function is impaired, an increased amount of thyroid-stimulating and other hormones is produced. All of them, one way or another, affect the acceleration of metabolism and increased destruction of proteins, fats, and carbohydrates are consumed in the first place. As a result, a person becomes very thin, irritating, excessive sweating, and fat loss increases the amount of ketone bodies, which causes the presence of an acetone smell.
Kidney Disease
With some pathologies in the kidneys and kidney tubules, when not only filtration abilities are violated, but also the general metabolic processes in the body, the decomposition of fats to ketones increases. In this case, in addition to the fact that the mouth smells like acetone, a person has morning swelling on his face.
If the treatment is started on time, the kidneys are fully restored, otherwise the process can reach a complete cessation of kidney function.
Chronic diseases of the digestive system
Pathologies of the gastrointestinal tract always, one way or another, provoke disturbances in the processes of assimilation and processing of nutrients. Therefore, with chronic gastritis, or a violation of the filtration function of the liver, it is possible to increase the ketone bodies in the blood and the appearance of the odor of acetone in the exhaled air.
Intoxication
An infectious disease or poisoning with various substances( eg, alcohol), is always accompanied by a general intoxication of the body. In this case, the body includes all the protective mechanisms for removing toxins. Including the acceleration of metabolic processes, which leads to a rapid consumption of carbohydrate stores, and further to the breakdown of proteins, fats and the formation of acetones.
That's why for the removal of intoxication the patient is recommended to drink abundantly, infusions of large volumes of liquid and glucose intravenously are prescribed.
The appearance of an acetone smell from the mouth in an adult is always an occasion to undergo a diagnosis in order to identify possible diseases in time and begin treatment.
