METABOLIC ACIDOSIS

Metabolic Acidosis General Information

Metabolic Acidosis Symptoms

Metabolic Acidosis Treatment

The treatment of this disorder depends especially on the cause. Any type of treatment for Metabolic Acidosis is based on the correction of the acid imbalance and needs hospitalization. The first step is to find the causes of the illness. Also, a toxicological or renal expertise should offer the information of the specific therapy for the cause determined. Measuring the levels of carbon dioxide and bicarbonate in the blood helps the doctor to find out more about what caused the acidosis. The best way to treat this disease is to first discover the fundamental cause. The specialists will administrate quick injections of different drugs and an intravenous treatment (IV) with fluids and sodium bicarbonate in order to prevent vomiting, nausea or seizures and to control heart rate and blood pressure if the disease is mild. The cases of intravenous feedings or tube feedings require a more attentive care to avoid accumulation of lactic acid or ketones or dehydration. When a patient also suffers of diabetes insulin will be added to the treatment. These patients are advised to test their urine for acetone and sugar more often, to follow a very strict diet and to take the insulin and the right medication to prevent the appearance of this disease.

While administrating these substances, the patients’ body temperature, pulse, respiration and blood pressure will necessarily need to be monitored. Administrating bicarbonate is vital when the pH is extremely low (under 7.1) because it prevents a fatal cardiac arrhythmia. Another therapy that neutralizes blood without generating CO2 is the therapy with carbicarb. In the case of poisoning with ethylene glycol or methanol, any treatment containing folate or thiamine and pyridoxine should be followed immediately to avoid any neurological sequelae. But if the patient presents severe Metabolic Acidosissymptom a very effective method is hemodialysis because it clears any toxic metabolites and it restores any extra cellular volume. When this disease is the result of a diet based on starvation and too much alcohol, the intravenous treatment contains glucose, used to stop ketosis and lypolisis and to increase the secretion of insulin. If we are confronted with a severe type of intoxication and Metabolic Acidosis we must consult immediately with the nephrology specialists because a dialysis may be more than useful in clearing our problem. The severe form of this illness could cause a overloading of the body with water and sodium. The Standard Base Excess (SBE) is the best method to measure the level of Metabolic Acidosis because it is independent of PCO2 and calculates what dose of bicarbonate is needed. Usually, the body maintains the pH balance at its normal values in various ways with the help of the lungs and kidneys. The kidneys have maybe the most important role because they filter the blood and then remove the excess of other substances, such as the acids. The kidneys also enrich the blood with the needed substances (amino acids, water and sugar).