A 40-year old Chinese man suffered from extreme body odor for four years due to an armpit infection which took years to diagnose, according to Daily Mail.
The man went to his doctor to complain of the stench and of having 'dirty' armpit hair and found that his armpit had actually been infected, thus resulting to creamy, yellow secretions on the hairs, according to the case reported in the New England Journal of Medicine. His doctors found the secretions located only on the hair shaft rather than penetrating it and the patient was immediately diagnosed with trichomycosis axillaris - a bacterial infection caused by the overgrowth of corynebacterium.
After examining the infection under the microscope, the Chinese man's doctors also found one to two-millimeter yellow, red and black nodules around his hair shaft making the appearance of hair on his armpit beaded and thick. The researchers involved in the case said that the creamy secretions found on the man's armpit consist of tightly packed bacteria that prefer thriving in moist areas. The rancid and acidic odor was a result of the bacteria metabolizing-testosterone - a certain type of hormone found in sweat.
Although the condition is rather rare, researchers confirmed that it affects more men than women because women typically shave or wax their armpit hair. Other risk factors that may contribute to the condition include obesity, excessive eating and poor hygiene. Some treatment options have also been suggested by the doctors at the Peking Union Medical College Hospital in Beijing which includes shaving the armpit hair off using an antibiotic cream and aluminum chloride. When done consistently, there is a possibility for the infection to completely clear out.
