Metabolic acidosis is common in

The human body needs a certain acid-base balance to enable various functions to function normally, otherwise it will cause great damage to health. Acid-base balance is very difficult to achieve. Most people have some acid-base problems. For example, acidosis is a common symptom, with metabolic acidosis being the most common. Let’s take a look at the diseases in which metabolic acidosis is common. I hope everyone can understand it.

Metabolic acidosis is the most common acid-base disorder, caused by an increase in extracellular fluid H+ or a loss of HCO3-, and is characterized by a primary decrease in HCO3- (<21mmol/L) and a decrease in pH (<7.35). In the clinical judgment of metabolic acidosis, the anion gap (AG) has important clinical value. According to different AG values, metabolic acidosis can be divided into high AG normal chloride type and normal AG high chloride type.

1. Cardiovascular system acidosis

The effect on heart rate is bidirectional. Severe acidosis may be accompanied by arrhythmias, tachycardia or bradycardia. Some people believe that this is caused by acidosis itself, but most people believe that it is caused by electrolyte imbalance associated with acidosis. Acidosis affects both arterioles and veins, but is more obvious in veins, mainly manifesting as persistent venous constriction. For small arteries, on the one hand, the increased secretion of catecholamines causes them to contract, and on the other hand, H itself causes small arteries to dilate. In severe acidosis, the latter effect exceeds the former.

2. Respiratory system symptoms include faster and deeper breathing

The typical one is called Kussmaul breathing. Because acidosis stimulates the central and peripheral chemoreceptors, excites the respiratory center, thereby increasing CO2 exhalation and decreasing PCO2, thus achieving a certain degree of compensation for acidosis.

3. Gastrointestinal system

Mild abdominal pain, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, decreased appetite, etc. may occur. The reasons are partly related to the basic cause of acidosis and other combined water, electrolyte, acid and base imbalances; in addition, the autonomic nervous dysfunction caused by acidosis itself (such as changes in the response to acetylcholine stimulation) is often also a direct cause.

4. Others

When the blood pH value decreases, K easily escapes from the cells to the outside of the cells, which can cause a slight increase in blood K. However, in fact, many conditions that produce metabolic acidosis are often accompanied by K deficiency, so the blood K level does not necessarily increase.