Does the old man smell? It might be a sign of cancer.

Many people have this feeling that there is something special about being around elderly people. Especially in winter, the elderly take fewer baths and the house is ventilated less often. In fact, in addition to these factors, the smell of old age may also be related to some diseases. Different smells often indicate different lesions, and the type of disease can often be identified based on these smells.

Smell of rotten apples: When the condition of a diabetic patient is serious, a large amount of fat will be oxidized in the liver to produce ketone bodies, which will diffuse into the blood, causing acetone in the exhaled breath and a rotten apple smell.

Urine smell: For patients with chronic nephritis or kidney disease, when the disease progresses to the stage of chronic renal failure, due to anuria, some toxic substances (such as urea nitrogen, creatinine, etc.) cannot be excreted from the body, which will make the patient's exhaled gas smell like urine or ammonia. This is a signal that the condition is becoming critical. Some patients with urinary incontinence cannot control their urination and often have an unpleasant smell of urine on their bodies.

Smell of rotten cabbage: When the body lacks tyrosine convertase, leading to tyrosine metabolism disorders, the body will emit a strange smell similar to rotten cabbage. Such patients are prone to hypoglycemia syncope or convulsions.

Liver odor: Patients with acute hepatitis or other severe liver damage often exhale a special odor, commonly known as liver odor. The presence of liver odor indicates that liver function is severely damaged and is a sign of a serious illness.

Tips: The smell of old people can be removed

The "old age smell" is not impossible to prevent and remove. Dr. Xu Huizhen pointed out that in order to get rid of the old age smell, you must first determine the cause of the smell. If it is caused by age, such as reduced skin function and slowed metabolism, you should strengthen skin moisturizing and skin care, especially in winter; if it is caused by a chronic disease, you should treat the primary disease first, such as uremia to improve kidney function, and patients with skin diseases should treat the skin diseases first.

In addition, the elderly should strengthen their personal hygiene, keep their skin dry and their clothes clean. Xu Huizhen pointed out that the smell of old age mainly emanates from places where sebaceous glands are concentrated, such as the neck, behind the ears, chest, and armpits. Japanese research also found that the smell of old age is most obvious in the top of the head and the back of the head.

Therefore, the elderly should keep these parts clean, wash their necks and ears frequently, and change their clothes frequently. Dead skin is also easily deposited on the elderly's underwear, so they must be changed after bathing. Elderly people with poor self-care abilities need the care and help of their family members and caregivers.

Diet also has a role. The elderly should eat a light diet, eat more fruits and vegetables and less meat. Because meat will oxidize body fat and increase odor. In daily life, you should eat more foods rich in vitamins and antioxidants, such as ginger, garlic, nuts, soybeans, etc., and eat less foods that produce oil, such as lard, butter, etc.