What is it?
Metabolic Alkalosis
- When one has too much bicarbonate in their blood leading to a high pH (beyond the normal range (7.35–7.45) in the blood making their blood too alkalis (opposite to acidic).
- When one has too much or same levels as sodium , loss of potassium and hence loss of hydrogen ions (low hydrogen ions means more alkalis).
Respiratory Alkalosis
- Person is breathing too fast and removing too much carbon dioxide, this cause the body to become alkalis as carbon dioxide helps to retain acid in the body.
Cause
- Kidney disease where the kidney retains the bicarbonate and not excreted in urine
- Volume depletion (loss of salt and water) in the cells (worst than dehydration)
- Repeated Vomiting (loss of stomach acid and chloride)
- Pyloric stenosis
- Gastrointestinal fistula
- Cystic fibrosis
- Hypokalemia
- Hyperventilation (low carbon dioxide levels)- Breathing too fast
- Using a ventilator to help with breathing
- High altitudes
- Anxiety
- Pregnancy
- Lung blood clot
- Condition that increases Aldosterone (Conn’s syndrome, tumours on adrenal gland, causing excess renin secretion hyperaldosteronism- causing high blood pressure)
- Conditions that increase mineralocorticoids:
- Cushings syndrome
- 11B-HSD deficiency
- 11B hydroxylase deficiency
- 17A-OH/17,20 Lyase deficiency
- Kidney disease (renal artery stenosis)
- Glucocorticoid receptor deficiency-mutations to the NR3C1 gene symptoms include:
Syndromes
- Bartter syndrome/Gitelman syndrome (kidney condition)
- Cushings syndrome
- Liddle syndrome
- SeSAME syndrome- Seizures, sensorineural deafness, ataxia, mental retardation, and electrolyte imbalance -mutations in the KCNJ10 gene features and symptoms include: mainly short stature, salt craving with polydipsia, renal potassium and sodium wasting, and polyuria.
Medication
- Diuretics (that cause low potassium levels and hence low hydrogen ion levels)
- Long term Laxative abuse i.e. Bisacodyl
- Overuse of bicarbonates, such as baking soda or antacids
- Corticosteroids
Vitamins, herbals and minerals
Respiratory Alkalosis
Medication (overdose of salicylates) i.e.
Symptoms
- Breathe fast and/or uncontrolled breathing and/or shallow breathing?
- Short of breath and/or breathing difficulties?
- Rapid heartbeat?
- Heart palpitations and/or irregular heartbeats?
- Headache which is on and off or a constant headache longer than 24 hours?
- Light headedness?
- General discomfort (muscle weakness), uneasiness or ill feeling (malaise) and/or fatigue (tiredness)?
- Confusion?
- Irritable anxiety and/or depressed?
- Balance and dizziness problems?
- Nausea and/or sickness feeling?
- Abdominal pain and/or are constant violently vomiting or vomiting longer than two days (one day if a child)?
- Severe diarrhoea?
- Hand tremor?
- Numbness or tingling in the face?
- Pain, numbness, burning and tingling (pins and needles) sensation in one’s hands and fingers (thumb and/or index finger and/or middle finger and/or ring finger and/or small finger)?
- Pain and/or numbness and/or tingling sensation in one or both legs and/or foot area
- Muscle twitching?
- Aching, painful muscles, muscle cramps/spasms/stiffness and/or prolonged muscle spasms (tetany)?
- Pale looking skin?
- Blue skin?
Nail changes:
Complications /Information to beware of/General tips:
Medical Emergency
And/or do not wait. phone for an ambulance if have symptoms or develop:
Detailed Information
Please copy and paste any key words from the title: Metabolic Alkalosis and Respiratory Alkalosis in the following respective 'Medtick References and/or Sources' to find out more about the disease (this also may include diagnosis tests and generic medical treatments).
- NHS
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- Medscape
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- Pharmaceutical Journal
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- Healthline
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- Medical News Today
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- WebMD
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- Cleveland Clinic
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- Drugs.com
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- National Organisation of Rare Diseases
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- Verywell Health
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- DR Axe
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