A.B.
Our body odour is dependant on the constituents of the sweat produced by the apocrine (sweat) glands. These are modified around the nipple, groin, genitalia and under the arm so that their secretions are likely to be especially pungent. To a lesser extent, the sweat glands on the cheeks, eyelids, ears, temple and scalp produce similar secretions.
The sweat contains steroid compounds, especially the 16-androstenes — these are particularly profuse in the sweat produced by the groin and armpits. Once bacteria have acted on the sweat they break it down and that gives it its individual smell.
The more androstene that a person’s sweat contains, the greater the potential for him or her to be strong smelling. It has been found that two of the 16-androstene compounds are important in this respect. If there is a predominance of androstenol, the sweat from the armpits and kindred areas tends to smell markedly musky; if there is a predominance of androstenone, the sweat develops an obvious smell of urine.
There are some conditions and diseases that can linked to smells. Food allergies, diabetes and kidney disease are to name a few. I would recommend your child first be checked for food allergies since your child is not having other major problems like yellowing of the eyes or vision problems. A.