DEAR DR. GOTT: My 4-1/2-year-old son is developmentally delayed and was diagnosed as having low muscle tone. With the help of therapy, he sat up at 1 year and walked at 2-1/2. He is also in speech therapy and isn’t completely potty trained. Emotionally and mentally, he is behind his pre-K peers and will be going into special education in kindergarten. He is extremely hyperactive and ADD, which contributes to his problems. My concern now is that he often has “oniony” breath and body odor, even when he hasn’t eaten any onions. Could this be a symptom of something that his doctors missed? Your feedback would be greatly welcomed. Thank you.
DEAR READER: The simple answer is yes, it could be a symptom of an underlying condition; however, I don’t know whether it is likely. Certain medications can cause changes in the smell of body odor, breath, urine and even stool. Most often other, more definitive symptoms are present, too.
There are several forums online of parents discussing the various odors their children emit. Most seem to say the children outgrow it, or that their pediatricians say the malady is caused by early glandular development and is otherwise harmless. Some have determined it is caused by diet. Rarely, some were told it is the result of thyroid malfunctioning.
Your son’s onion-smelling breath and body odor are probably not a sign of illness; however, to be on the safe side, take your son to his pediatrician for a complete exam and blood work. Perhaps a referral to an endocrinologist will be helpful. In the interim, try to manage the situation as best you can.
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