Metabolic acidosis: Difference between revisions

'''Metabolic acidosis''' is a serious electrolyte disorder characterized by an imbalance in the body's acid-base balance. Metabolic acidosis has three main root causes: increased acid production, loss of [[bicarbonate]], and a reduced ability of the [[Kidney|kidneys]] to excrete excess acids.<ref name=":2">{{Cite web|url=https://www.uptodate.com/contents/approach-to-the-adult-with-metabolic-acidosis|title=Approach to the adult with metabolic acidosis|last=Emmett|first=Michael|last2=Szerlip|first2=Harold|date=|website=|url-status=live|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=}}</ref> Metabolic acidosis can lead to [[Acidemia|acidemia]], which is defined as an arterial blood [[pH]] that is lower than 7.35, which itself is a result of acidosis - ''the process'' in the body that causes a low pH in blood and tissues.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book|title=Physiology|last=Costanzo|first=Linda|publisher=Elsevier|year=2010|isbn=978-1-4160-6216-5|location=Philadelphia, Pennsylvania|pages=}}</ref> Acidemia and acidosis are not mutually exclusive – pH and hydrogen ion concentrations also depend on the coexistence of other acid-base disorders; therefore, pH levels in people with metabolic acidosis can range from low, normal, to high.