Excessive acid in the body fluids caused by dehydration, diarrhea, vomiting, renal disease, or hepatic impairment.
Acidosis caused by a malfunction of the body’s metabolism.
Acid-base imbalance associated with shock, diabetes, starvation, alcoholism, renal failure, or severe diarrhea and characterized by shortness of breath, lethargy, confusion, drowsiness, flushed and warm skin, hypotension, stupor, and coma.
Any process that causes a decrease in the pH of the body as a result of the retention of acids or the loss of bicarbonate buffers. Metabolic acidosis is usually categorized by the presence or absence of an abnormal anion gap. The anion gap metabolic acidoses include diabetic, alcoholic, and lactic acidoses; the acidosis of renal failure; and acidoses that result from the consumption of excess acids e.g., salicylates, methanol, or ethanol). Non-anion gap metabolic acidoses occur in diarrhea, renal tubular acidosis, and multiple myeloma.
Elevated acidity in the blood and tissues arises from chemical reactions within the body. This condition can stem from uncontrolled or abnormal processes, such as in diabetic ketoacidosis and lactic acidosis, or from an inability to eliminate waste from normal bodily functions, as observed in kidney disease (referred to as renal tubular acidosis). Alternatively, it can be triggered by the loss of alkaline substances due to conditions like diarrhea. Additionally, acidosis may result from toxic exposure to substances like antifreeze (ethylene glycol) or aspirin. Left untreated, it can be life-threatening. The treatment approach involves administering sodium bicarbonate to rectify the acidosis and implementing measures to address the root cause.