maple syrup urine disease

9.5

A rare inherited illness that makes urine smell like maple syrup and can cause brain damage or death in babies

noun
/ˈmeɪpəl ˈsɪrəp ˈjʊrɪn dɪˈziːz/

Specialized

: enfermedad de la orina con olor a jarabe de arce

Parents should be aware of the signs of maple syrup urine disease, as it can lead to serious neurological damage if untreated.

Examples

So it's called Maple syrup urine disease because the urine smells like Maple syrup.
A doctor confirmed that the baby had maple syrup urine disease, which causes a sweet odor in the urine.
Early detection of maple syrup urine disease is crucial to prevent severe health issues later in childhood.

Synonyms

branched chain ketoaciduria

vsmaple syrup urine disease

Specialized

9.9

A genetic illness that makes urine smell like maple syrup and can damage the brain in young children

is the same disorder but named differently in medical terminology

Surface Forms

maple syrup urine disease singular

Morphology

maple + syrup + urine + disease

The phrase is directly compositional: 'maple syrup' modifies 'urine', and 'maple syrup urine' modifies 'disease', so a learner who knows the constituent words can infer it refers to a disease in which the urine has a maple-syrup-like quality. Although the clinical cause (an inherited metabolic disorder) and severity are specialist details not deducible from the words, the core descriptive meaning is transparent.

Etymology

Maple syrup urine disease comes from doctors noticing that a baby's urine had a 'sweet' 'smell' like maple syrup. So the name points to a serious condition where the urine smells 'sweet' and needs quick treatment.