Metabolic acidosis happens when the blood becomes too acidic. It can happen in infants, children, and adults for many different reasons. Metabolic acidosis may range from mild to severe, or even life-threatening.
CAUSES
Metabolic acidosis happens as a result of one of the following:
• The body produces too much acid.
• You consume a toxic substance that increases the acid content in the blood.
• The body loses an important element, such as bicarbonate, which helps to balance acid.
• The kidneys do not remove enough acid from the body.
There are many causes. Metabolic acidosis can be brought on by chronic or life-threatening conditions, such as:
• Diabetes.
• Kidney disease or failure.
• Liver failure.
• Seizures.
• Diarrhea.
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○ Excessive use of supplements, including iron and performance-enhancing drinks.
• Medicine, such as:
○ Aspirin.
○ Acetazolamide.
• Lifestyle factors, such as:
○ Excess alcohol.
○ Prolonged intense exercise without proper rest and rehydration.
○ Malnutrition or fasting.
RISK FACTORS
SYMPTOMS
Mild acidosis may not cause symptoms. More severe acidosis may cause:
• Rapid breathing.
• Feeling sick to your stomach (nauseous).
• Throwing up (vomiting).
• Headache.
• Confusion.
• Fatigue.
• Weakness.
• Altered level of consciousness.
DIAGNOSIS
Diagnosis is made by:
• Physical exam and patient history.
• Blood tests. Sometimes, an arterial blood gas test (ABG) is needed. The blood is taken from an artery in the wrist. This test can measure the specific pH of the blood.
• Urine tests.
TREATMENT
Severe forms of metabolic acidosis require hospital treatment and inpatient care. Treatment depends on the cause and severity of the metabolic acidosis. Treatment is aimed at restoring balance of acid (normal pH) in the blood and treating the underlying
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• If you get dialysis, do not miss any appointments.
• Get plenty of rest.
• See your caregiver for close follow-up. You may need more blood tests.
PREVENTION
To prevent metabolic acidosis in the future, follow these guidelines:
• Manage chronic conditions. Take your medicines as directed. Failure to take certain medicines, or taking too much of them, can predispose you to acidosis.
• Avoid exposure to poisons and toxins.
• Limit alcohol intake.
• Drink enough water and fluids to keep your urine clear or pale yellow.
• Understand your medicines and supplements, and their possible side effects.
SEEK MEDICAL CARE IF:
SEEK IMMEDIATE MEDICAL CARE IF:
• You have shortness of breath, chest pain, or a fast heartbeat (palpitations).
• You develop worsening nausea, vomiting, or uncontrolled diarrhea.
• You develop worsening body aches, fatigue, or lethargy.
• You experience worsening levels of consciousness or you faint.
• You develop worsening signs of dehydration, you cannot eat, or you are producing less urine.
• You have uncontrolled pain in your joints and limbs.
• You have uncontrolled, severe abdominal
Acidity and inflammation tend to go hand in hand. It isn't always clear which is cause and which is effect, but there is good evidence that being too acid is strongly associated with various medical conditions, including diabetes, chronic inflammatory conditions and urinary tract infections.
4. What laboratory tests should be ordered for M.G. related to (R/T) the order for
Respiratory acidosis is a condition that occurs when the lungs cannot remove all the carbon dioxide the body produces. This causes body fluids, especially the blood, to become too acidic. Chronic respiratory acidosis occurs over a long period of time, this leads to a stable situation, because the kidneys increase body chemicals, such as bicarbonate, that help restore the body’s acid-base balance. Acute respiratory acidosis is a condition in which carbon dioxide builds up quickly, before the kidneys can return the body to a state of balance. Some of the symptoms may include: confusion, fatigue, lethargy, shortness of breath, and sleepiness. Some causes of
The blood glucose level has very limited range for humans to survive and stay healthy. Generally, people are able to remove excess glucose rapidly from the body but this is not the case when they are diagnosed with diabetes and insulin resistant situations. The lack of insulin resistance can also lead to a decrease in glycogen synthesis and storage as it usually converts glucose to energy for cell’s use (Jensen & et al. 2011). When insulin is produced under insulin resistance, the cells are incapable of using them effectively which then leads to high blood sugar level as ketones and ketoacids are produced as an alternative energy source for the body. The rise of ketoacid causes the blood pH acidic and the patient may also be diagnosed with ketoacidosis (Newton & Raskin 2004). There would also be less intake of lipid and more of stored triglycerides as the lipids are effected by the insulin. As the glucose levels increase, the muscle glucose uptake will decrease while the liver glucose production and blood fatty acid concentration will also increase within the body (Lichtenstein & Schwab 2000). Excess glucose within the blood are converted to fat which can lead to Diabetic Dyslipidaemia and furthermore to obesity, hypertension and
Further complicating the diagnosis and treatment can be a mixed picture of both HHS and DKA. This occurs in both type 1 diabetes and Type 2 diabetes. In this case treatment is balanced between correcting the metabolic acidosis and lowering the osmolality of the blood. (Kearney T. & Dang, C., 2007)
DKA is presented with three major physiological disturbances which are hyperosmolality due to hyperglycemia, metabolic acidosis because of the buildup of ketoacids, and hypovalemia from osmotic diuresis. Diabetic ketoacidosis is caused by a profound deficiency of insulin, its most likely occur in people with type 1 diabetes, inadequate insulin dosage, poor self management, undiagnosed type 1 diabetes, illnesses and infections. In type 1
These results are showing a more acidosis level and with our pH low the PaCO2 low and also HCO3 low, Sam’s decreased level in the glascow coma scale and tachycardia we could consider a hyperglycaemic metabolic or ketosis acidosis and commence corrective treatment immediately( Roman,M,2008, p268).
The specific metabolic disorder that I picked for this discussion is Krabbe Disease or globoid cell leukodystrophy. The disease destroys the protective coating of nerve cells in the brain and throughout the body causing the nerve cells to stop responding or react unpredictably. The disease is caused by a person receiving two copies of a mutated gene that results in severely curtailed production of an enzyme called galactocerebrosidase (GALC) (Krabbe disease, n.d.). This enzyme is responsible for breaking down certain substances in a cell's recycling center. Unfortunately, in Krabbe disease, not enough GALC was produced so the cells begin accumulating fats called galactolipids which normally are responsible for maintaining the protective coating
Venous blood gas were drawn on this patient during her stay at the PICU, her gases were as followed: pH: 7.28, PaO2: 30.0, PaCO2: 33.0, HCO3: 15.0, Lactate: 19. This blood gas indicated partially compensated metabolic acidosis with mild
How would his acid-base disorder be classified? What is the most likely cause of his polycythemia? Base on R.S’ laboratory results of pH=7.32, PaCO2=60mm Hg, PaO2=50mm Hg, HCO3-=30 mEq/L, he has partly compensated respiratory acidosis. Partly compensated respiratory acidosis means the patient’s pulmonary system cannot clear enough carbon dioxide from the body which leads to hypercapnia. Hypercapnia occurs when the partial pressure of arterial carbon dioxide is greater than 45 mm Hg and pH less than 7.35 is acidosis. (Klower, 2011) When the patient’s breathing ventilation is compromised, perfusion, and diffusion this may cause respiratory acidosis. Since the pH of R.S. is not too low from normal and the higher CO2, then it means it’s partially compensated.
Diabetic ketoacidosis is an event which occurs when there is not enough insulin in the body to utilize sufficient amount of glucose needed to provide cells with energy; body then starts to use fatty acids as a fuel, which are converted to ketones in the liver. In healthy people who do not have diabetes, ketone bodies are produced in normal quantities and then successfully used by tissues as energy supply. This state is known as dietary ketosis and it is completely normal and may even provide health benefits. But in those who have diabetes, ketones are produced in enormous quantities and aren't used in full by cells, so they start to build up in the blood. Acids 3-hydroxybutyric acid and acetoacetic acid are produced rapidly causing decrease in buffering capacity of the blood and eventually depleting buffering systems (Manninen, 2004).
One of the basic concepts that new nurses need to learn is that homeostasis in the body is maintained by the acid base balance in the body. That concept is critical when looking at arterial blood gases. This can help guide the nurse to anticipate what the doctor will order and the education that she needs to give the patient and the family. This case study should help to illustrate the point.
Hypermetabolism occurs whenever there is an injury, burn or trauma. There are also some events like surgery, infections, steroid therapy and bone marrow transplants, sepsis, burns, ever, long-bone fractures, hyperthyroidism long term steroid therapy. It can occur particularly in brain ater trauma or traumatic brain injury. It’s also linked to a condition called as insulin resistance. Normally, the digestive system breakdown the food into smaller sugar units and then this glucose is not controlled by insulin ( a hormone which is produced by pancreas that helps sugar entry in cell ) as a result the high metabolism takes place.
The cause of acidosis in the body is when the kidneys and lungs do not maintain the balance (proper pH level) of chemicals called acids and bases. It can either occur when bicarbonate (a base) is lost or when acid builds up. Acidosis can be defined as either respiratory or metabolic. Too much carbon dioxide (an acid) in the body leads to respiratory acidosis. When the body gets into a situation where it is unable to remove enough carbon dioxide through breathing, it causes respiratory acidosis. This kind of acidosis is also called hyper-capnic acidosis and carbon dioxide acidosis and could be caused by: chest deformities, such as kyphosis, Chest injuries, chest muscle weakness, chronic lung disease and overuse of sedative drugs. The symptoms that can be caused by respiratory acidosis are confusion, fatigue, lethargy, shortness of breath, and sleepiness. Metabolic acidosis develops when too much acid is produced in the body. It can also occur when the kidneys cannot remove enough acid from the body. There are several types of metabolic acidosis: Hyperchloremic, Lactic and diabetic. Things that could cause acidosis are: Dehydration, Aspirin poisoning and kidney disease. Diabetic acidosis (also called diabetic ketoacidosis and DKA) develops when substances called ketone bodies (which are acidic) build up during uncontrolled diabetes. The symptoms of metabolic acidosis symptoms depend on the underlying disease or condition. The metabolic acidosis itself usually causes rapid
If an acid-base disturbance shifts the pH outside of the physiologic range, various control measures are activated to resist the change in pH. Compensatory mechanisms try to preserve the normal 20:1 ratio of bicarbonate to carbonic acid to keep the pH at normal range. The body works to maintain normal ratios through a compensation mechanism using renal and respiratory methods (Crowley, 2010).