D1 Unit 7 Assignment

Holly Weiss
SC-131
Unit 7
Acidosis and Alkalosis

Assignment

The normal pH value for the body fluids is between pH 7.35 and 7.45. When the pH value of body fluids is below 7.35, the condition is called acidosis, and when the pH is above 7.45, it is called alkalosis.

Respiratory acidosis is a condition that occurs when the lungs cannot remove all of the carbon dioxide the body produces. This causes body fluids, especially the blood, to become too acidic. Some causes include obstructive sleep apnea, diseases of the chest, airways and the nerves. There is chronic and acute respiratory acidosis. Chronic occurs over a long period of time. This can lead to a stable health state, because your kidneys increase body chemicals and it helps

Acute is a condition in which carbon dioxide builds up very fast, before the kidneys can return the body to homeostasis. Symptoms of respiratory acidosis may include: Sleepiness, easy fatigue, confusion, and shortness of breath and lethargy. Treatment is aimed to the underlying disease, oxygen if the blood level is low, treatment to stop smoking, Noninvasive positive-pressure ventilation (called CPAP) or a breathing machine and some Bronchodilator drugs to reserve airway obstruction. Compensation refers to the body 's natural mechanisms of counteracting a primary acid-base disorder in an attempt to maintain homeostasis. In Respiratory Acidosis, the elevation in PCO2 result from a reduction in alveolar ventilation. Elevation in PCO2 is never due to an increase in CO2 production. Acute VS Chronic places a role in either are dumping bicarbonate or holding on to it. With chronic respiratory acidosis the kidneys hold on to bicarbonate. If the respiratory acidosis persists then the plasma bicarbonate rises

It can also happen to due kidney diseases. They are three kinds of Metabolic alkalosis, 1) Hypocloermic alkalosis is caused by an extreme lack or loss of chloride, from prolonged vomiting. 2) Hypokelemic alkalosis, which is caused by the kidneys response to an extreme loss or lack of potassium. This can happen from taking diuretics. 3) Compensated alkalosis, which occurs when the body returns the acid-base balance but the carbon dioxide and bicarbonate levels, remain abnormal. Symptoms can be, hand tremors, muscle twitching, light-headedness, and confusion and numbness. Treatments have included medications to correct the chemical loss; breathing into a paper bag will allow more carbon dioxide into the body and having your vitals signs monitored by a healthcare