What is acidosis?
Acid-base balance, which is considered oneof the most important indicators of human health - is a relatively constant ratio of alkali and acid contained in the internal environment of the human body. The constancy of this relationship is a necessary condition for the normal course of all life processes occurring in the body.
The acid-base balance is quantifiedcharacterized by a hydrogen pH. Normally, the blood pH of a healthy person can fluctuate in a very narrow range, the lower limit of which is 7.37, and the upper limit is 7.44. All tissues of the human body are very sensitive to changes in this indicator. Even with minor deviations from the norm, enzymes lose the ability to perform their functions, as a result of which metabolic processes are disrupted in the body. In the case when the pH value decreases, that is, shifts toward 0, the person develops acidosis. Let us consider in more detail what is acidosis.
Acidosis: causes, symptoms, treatment
Acidosis is a painful condition of the body, which develops as a result of the shift of the acid-base balance to the acidic side.
Causes of acidosis
In a healthy person who is in normal conditions, all the oxidation products formed in his body are quickly removed from him with sweat, urine and exhaled air.
With some internal diseases,malnutrition or as a result of prolonged stay in an unfavorable environment, acids can accumulate in the tissues of the body, which leads to the development of acidosis.
The main causes of acidosis are:
- Hypoventilation of the lungs, resulting fromsevere respiratory failure, or a prolonged stay in a stuffy room with a high concentration of CO2 in the air is the cause of respiratory (gas) acidosis.
- Renal failure, vomiting, or diarrhea causes excretory acidosis.
- Severe metabolic disorders caused by diabetes, severe fever, pregnancy, fasting, or hard diets are the causes of metabolic acidosis.
The main symptoms of acidosis:
- Heart palpitations, in more severe cases, cardiac arrhythmia.
- Rapid breathing, shortness of breath.
- Increased (in rare cases, low) blood pressure.
- Dizziness, lethargy, constant weakness, frequent headaches.
- Vomiting, diarrhea or, on the contrary, frequent constipation.
- In some cases, the characteristic odor of acetone present in the exhaled air.
Treatment of acidosis
- Elimination of the cause that causes it.
- Treatment of the underlying disease.
- Normalization of nutrition; copious drink.
- In some cases, the intake of baking soda.
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