When your urine has a strong odor, it may be more than an embarrassing problem. In some cases, it indicates an underlying medical condition. However, don't panic if you have strong odor in your urine for a short time. Temporary changes are unlikely to be an indicator of a serious illness, according to the Mayo Clinic. If you're concerned about strong urine odor, the only way to get an accurate diagnosis is to consult a doctor, the Mayo Clinic says.
Food, Medicine and Vitamins
Medications and foods can cause strong urine odor, advises "Stoma Care and Rehabilitation" author Brigid Breckman. These include asparagus, oily fish and antibiotics. Vitamin B6 supplements can cause urinary odor as well, according to the Mayo Clinic.
Dehydration
Dehydration may cause a strong odor in urine, which can be dark in color if you're dehydrated, says Paul Insel, lead author for the book "Nutrition." This is because your body is attempting to conserve water by raising water reabsorption in your kidneys. Other early signs of dehydration include headache, dry mouth and fatigue, Insel says.
Infection
If you have a urinary tract infection, your urine may take on a strong smell. It also may look cloudy or contain blood, according to the University of Maryland Medical Center. Such infections usually have a sudden onset. Other symptoms include a frequent urge to urinate, painful urination, pressure or discomfort in the lower abdomen, back or pelvic pain and fever. You need a urine culture to accurately determine whether you have an infection, according to Thomas T. Yoshikawa and Dean C. Norman, authors of "Infectious Disease in the Aging." A kidney infection also can lead to strong urinary odor, according to the Mayo Clinic.
Liver Failure and Phenylketonuria
Some serious health conditions lead to a strong odor in the urine, according to the National Institutes of Health, or NIH. These include liver failure and phenylketonuria, or PKU, a rare condition in which you lack the ability to break down an amino acid often found in diet soda called phenylalanine. Metabolic disorders and diabetic ketoacidosis, a serious complication associated with diabetes, also can lead to strong-smelling urine, the Mayo Clinic says. Diabetic ketoacidosis can mimic the flu and cause fruity-scented breath and frequent urination.
Fistula
A rectal fistula can lead to urinary odor, according to the NIH. A fistula is an abnormal connection that can be caused by inflammation, infection or a surgery. With a rectal fistula, your feces are expelled through an opening other than your anus, the NIH says.
Fenugreek and Maple Syrup Disease
Fenugreek may cause urine to smell strongly of maple syrup, according to the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, or MSKCC. However, a maple syrup smell also can be caused by maple syrup urine disease, a condition in which a person's body is unable to break down certain portions of proteins, according to the NIH. If you have this condition, you can't break down the three branched chain amino acids--valine, leucine and isoleucine. This disease can lead to mental retardation and brain damage. Fenugreek taken by a nursing mom sometimes leads to false diagnosis of this disease, according to the MSKCC.
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