Acidosis - a condition characterized by an increase in acidity and a reduction in blood pH of less than 7,35 (normal blood pH 7.35-7.38).
In other words, the acid-base balance of the body, wherein contained in tissues and in blood or organic acid is not fast enough displayed or produced in excess.
Causes
It should be understood that the acidosis is always the result of another disease. This means that it should not be regarded as an independent disease, but a symptom.
Acidosis can occur in the following situations:
Fever.
When the body temperature reaches 38.5, the metabolic processes in the body begin to flow otherwise. Thus, due to the high temperature accelerates the metabolism of proteins, fats and carbohydrates, which are produced during the conversion of acid. After formation, acids are released into the bloodstream, causing a phenomenon of acidosis.
Pregnancy.
During fetal development in his organs and tissues take place the same metabolic processes as well as in the mother's body. This means that during the growth of the fetus in the pregnant woman's blood organic acids becomes larger, which causes a state of acidosis.
Starvation.
In order to maintain the normal function of organs and systems, during fasting the body begins to recycle nutrients reserves accumulated earlier. Since organic acids developed during their metabolism can be connected, and output excreted from substances coming from food, their fasting blood concentration abruptly increases.
Diabetes.
Since in diabetes is disturbed carbohydrate metabolism, in some severe cases, there is accumulation of acids in tissues and blood, which can lead to acetonuria (presence of acetone in the urine), keto-acidotic coma. Also, acidosis can occur during hypoglycemic coma due to insulin overdose.
Respiratory failure.
The appearance of acidosis in patients with respiratory failure due to an increase of the partial pressure of CO2 in the blood by reducing ventilation. Also, long leads to acidosis stay in a high concentration of CO2.
Heart failure with symptoms of circulatory insufficiency in pulmonary (chronic left ventricular failure). Heart failure of this type leads to an increase in blood pressure in pulmonary vessels, causing them to edema, reduced gas exchange and acidosis development.
Kinds
Compensated acidosis (pH 7.35)
Subcompensated acidosis (pH 7.25-7.34)
Decompensated (pH less than 7.25)
symptoms of acidosis
The main symptoms of acidosis:
- Weakness, drowsiness. These symptoms are explained by depressing an excess of organic acids on the structure of the central nervous system.
- Nausea. As well as the weakness caused by the inhibition of the structures of the central nervous system.
- The feeling of choking, acetone breath odor. This is due to the fact that an excess of organic acids capable excreted through the lungs, in a bound form with gas molecules.
Diagnostics
The only way to diagnose the condition of laboratory acidosis is the measurement of pH value of blood (blood pH).
Normally, the value of this index 7.35-7.38. It is important to understand that at pH = 7.35 (though the figure and is at the lower limit of normal) in the body can already place the so-called compensation processes in which the excretory systems work in elevated mode load.
This means that if you do not eliminate the cause of acidosis in the near future compensatory mechanisms weakened, and come subcompensation (pH 7.25-7.35), the stage at which the total degradation occurs state.
Finally, the pH value of less than 7.25 indicate the occurrence of the decompensation in which the body does not cope with the excretion of excess organic acid and coma can occur.
In addition to measuring the pH, the state of acidosis indirectly indicate:
- Increasing the partial pressure of CO2
- Reducing the level of standard bicarbonate (SB)
- Reducing the base excess (BE)
acidosis treatment
Since acidosis is never an independent disease, its etiological treatment is to eliminate the underlying disease.
There is also a symptomatic therapy aimed at alleviating the condition of the patient. It includes assigning abundant drinking and ingestion of sodium (5 to 40g per day, depending on the current values of pH).
It is important to understand what the symptomatic treatment in some cases may cause a worsening of the underlying disease (E.g., heart failure), so that appropriate treatment can be prescribed only doctor treating the basic disease.
Complications and prognosis
Acidosis - a manifestation of metabolic disorders in the body, is often associated with serious diseases.
Therefore, if the cause is not eliminated it arrives in the blood the amount of organic acids is constantly growing, depleting the compensatory mechanisms that may eventually lead to coma.
