It is not a lack of hygiene or a bad habit. It is trimethylaminuria, a metabolic disorder in which the liver is unable to break down a compound called trimethylamine, so the body ends up expelling it unchanged through sweat, urine, and even breath. The result is a rotten-fish odor that not even the longest shower can eliminate.
It is estimated that there is barely one case per 100,000 people, although doctors suspect there are many more that go undiagnosed. Those who suffer from it often spend years without an explanation, avoiding public transportation, hugs, and dates.
“You know there is something that sets you apart from everyone else, but you never consider that there might be an illness behind it”, an anonymous patient says. Today, the only possible treatment is to eliminate foods such as eggs, fish, and legumes from the diet — food becomes another area of sacrifice.