If you are someone or know someone who has a chronic fish odor emitting from the body, you or they could have TMAU aka Trimethylaminuria Disease.
Finally, there are studies proving that it is a rare and real condition that needs monitoring to help victims. If you know anyone that has the scent of fish at any given time, this article might be a lifesaver for them. If you've ever thought to make a wish crack about someone smelling like fish, think twice and also read this article for they maybe suffering from a chronic fish odor medical condition.
TMAU aka Trimethylaminuria
Disease, fish odor syndrome and fish malodor s a rare metabolic medical disorder. The malfunction of the body causes a patient of the physical disorder to smell like dead rotten fish. The normal production of Flavin, an enzyme that contains monooxygenase 3 (FM03) is the culprit. It has now been detected that almost all foods a patient's body tries to digest activates the process of making the enzyme become off kilter. When that occurs, the body emits the scent of rotten fish, that also unfortunately, is not detected by a suffer, even through the smell can be as pungent as to light up and linger in an entire room. One victim, a teacher, has been quoted as saying that when she suffered from the disorder, her body odor could be experienced throughout an entire auditorium. Even more, when she has gotten work as an adult, she has been humiliated often with people literally spraying the area all day where she would be stationed.The disease, also known as, fish odor syndrome or fish malodor syndrome, is detected in a person as a child. The mental state of young people with this body odor condition one can imagine is very debilitating emotionally dealing with such a state with peers. Men suffer less from TMAU and it seems to effect individuals when they are going through puberty the most. As far as why women seem to be more affected, doctors are beginning to believe it could have something to do with the female hormones. Even more, the scent increases in women during the menopausal years and just before periods. There are only 600 people in the world documented with having the disorder.
Trimethylamine accumulates to the point of patient of the disease releases the fish smell through every possible pore and or orifice. There is nothing that comes from the body that does not release the smell and the scent is so strong, bathing continuously and or perfumes do not cover the scent. At a low end, a person my smell like garbage. Choline rich foods seem to aid in the making of the foul fish odor.
A recent broadcast on the subject of TMAU on ABC's, "Extreme
Afflictions", brought together two women who had suffered from the condition all their lives. One woman, an African American, had more than ten surgeries during her youth doctors performed on her hoping to find out what was causing her condition. She had also been given hundreds of medications in which known have ever worked. Another woman, a Caucasian ex-model who managed to go to an Ivy League school to become a teacher, who managed to graduate with honors contending the whole time with fish odor, landed the job of her lifetime, as she put it, but never showed up for the position because of fair of the consequences of her fishy smell. She reverted instead to becoming a recluse right before she found a website where Trimethylaminuria was being discussed and new ways to help victims. It was actually the African American woman's website. She had finally found out what it is that she was suffering from and was reaching out to help both educate the public and help assist victims of TMAU or fish malodor syndrome with relieve from the condition through education and referrals.
Thanks to the woman's website and Drs. Dani Reed and George Preti who are leading researchers on the condition, help for sufferers have been found in modifying diet. Apparently, it works almost like an allergy the fish odor syndrome since what a person eats helps determine the strength of the smell.
The condition of TMAU is one that can help benefit everyone. Obvious, the education of the body malfunction can help for having compassion for people with body odors. For one, as odd as it may sound, some young women on their menses may benefit from various remedies TMAU suffers are finding relieve. Tips on changing diet near the time of periods could be essential from having the slight scent of fish sometimes detected in menstruating women for instance. This is a serious matter to take it into consideration and maybe should be a matter of including the tip of having less intake of foods that have choline near the time of a woman's menstrual periods. From the information on TMAU as to how it is being helped, perhaps women nearing being menopausal an benefit too from tips for TMAU aka Trimethylaminuria Disease or Fish malodor syndrome.
http://tmaufoundation.org/index.html
http://healthmad.com/conditions-and-diseases/tmau-aka-trimethylaminuria-disease/
© 2012 Sharon L. West