alkalosis

Examples of alkalosis in the following topics:

• Alkalosis

  • Alkalosis is the increased alkalinity of blood and other tissues, generally occurring when the blood pH is above 7.45.
  • Alkalosis refers to a condition reducing hydrogen ion concentration of arterial blood plasma (alkalemia).
  • Generally, alkalosis is said to occur when pH of the blood exceeds 7.45.
  • Alkalosis can refer to respiratory alkalosis or metabolic alkalosis.
  • The main cause of respiratory alkalosis is hyperventilation, resulting in a loss of carbon dioxide.

• Chemical Composition of Bone

  • Alkalosis refers to a high pH in tissue.
  • Respiratory alkalosis is a medical condition in which increased respiration (hyperventilation) elevates the blood pH (a condition generally called alkalosis).
  • Acute respiratory alkalosis occurs rapidly.
  • Chronic respiratory alkalosis is a more long-standing condition.
  • Differentiate among the acid-base disorders: metabolic acidosis, metabolic alkalosis, respiratory acidosis, and respiratory alkalosis

• Disorders of Acid-Base Balance

  • Alkalosis refers to a high pH in tissue.
  • Respiratory alkalosis is a medical condition in which increased respiration (hyperventilation) elevates the blood pH (a condition generally called alkalosis).
  • There are two types of respiratory alkalosis: chronic and acute.
  • Acute respiratory alkalosis occurs rapidly.
  • Chronic respiratory alkalosis is a more long-standing condition.

• The Reason for Breathing

  • Respiratory alkalosis happens when the opposite effect occurs.
  • Alkalosis can happen from hyperventilation (too much breathing) which removes too much carbon dioxide from the bloodstream.
  • These feedback mechanisms can fail in people with chronic respiratory diseases like emphysema and bronchitis, or from the side effects of certain drugs, in which acidosis and alkalosis will occur regardless.
  • One of the primary reasons for breathing is to regulate blood pH so that respiratory acidosis and alkalosis don't occur.

• Regulation of H+ by the Lungs

  • The process that causes the imbalance is classified based on the etiology of the disturbance (respiratory or metabolic) and the direction of change in pH (acidosis or alkalosis).
  • There are four basic processes: metabolic acidosis, respiratory acidosis, metabolic alkalosis, and respiratory alkalosis.

• Adjustments at High Altitude

  • However, hyperventilation also causes the adverse effect of alkalosis due to increasing the rate by which carbon dioxide is removed from the body, which inhibits the respiratory center from enhancing the respiratory rate to meet the oxygen demands.
  • Along with alkalosis, these effects make up the symptoms of altitude sickness, which become worse during exercise at high altitudes (which involves more anaerobic respiration than at lower altitudes), but falls off during acclimatization.
  • Gradually, the body compensates for the respiratory alkalosis by kidney excretion of bicarbonate, which allows adequate respiration to provide oxygen without risking alkalosis.

• Pylorospasm and Pyloric Stenosis

  • This is the significant factor that prevents correction of the alkalosis.
  • Therefore, the baby must be initially stabilized by correcting the dehydration and hypochloremic alkalosis with IV fluids.

• Chemoreceptor Regulation of Breathing

  • Without that carbon dioxide, there will be less carbonic acid in blood, so the concentration of hydrogen ions decreases and the pH of the blood rises, causing alkalosis.
  • Conversely, vomiting removes hydrogen ions from the body (as the stomach contents are acidic), which will cause decreased ventilation to correct alkalosis.

• Acidosis

  • Acidosis is said to occur when arterial pH falls below 7.35, while its counterpart (alkalosis) occurs at a pH over 7.45.
  • The distinction may be relevant where a patient has factors causing both acidosis and alkalosis, wherein the relative severity of both determines whether the result is a high or a low pH.
  • It can also occur as a compensatory response to chronic metabolic alkalosis.

• Potassium Balance Regulation

  • A high pH (ie. alkalosis >7.4) favors movement of K+ into the cells whilst a low pH (ie. acidosis) causes movement out of the cell.