Metabolic Alkalosis

What is Metabolic Alkolis?

Everything in this world especially the parts, nerves, and everything inside our body is very essential in the proper functioning and development of our body.

A condition in which the body fluids have excess base (alkali) is often referred as “Metabolic Alkalosis’, where the pH in our tissues becomes elevated and the pH balance of the body has accumulated too much of an alkaline substance that can indicate a more severe condition such as a kidney failure, cardiovascular disease, and etc. There’s a huge disturbance of the body’s acid/base balance in the exracellular fluid (ECF) that takes place in our body.

In addition, the suitable task of our body in relation to this condition is to neutralize the outcome of the alkali. The large amount of patient’s suffering this sickness is mostly hospitalized adults. It is caused by the increasing of the concentration in the plasma bicarbonate (HCO3) into our body.

This certain condition may be suitably separated into two (2) categories based on the quantity of the available chloride in our body specifically in the urine. The two types are as follows:

Chloride-Resistant

• Typically, this type refuses to go along with the administration of chloride salt that present in our body.
• It also illustrates the increasing volume of ECF (extracellular fluid) more than 20 mEq/L in the affected patient.
• It often occurs, when chloride is lost in excess of sodium

Chloride Responsive

• Typically, this other type responds to the management of chloride salt into our body.
• It illustrates the decreasing volume of ECF (extracellular fluid) and low serum chloride levels of less than 10 mEq/L in the body of the affected patient.
• It often occurs when there is direct stimulation of renal plasma bicarbonate reabsorption.

Symptoms

When the body has more base than acid in our body system that’s the time metabolic alkalosis take place and the levels of both potassium and sodium for this condition decreases dramatically, causing symptoms that may include:

• Shallow and slow respiration
• Diarrhea
• Coma
• Congenital Chloride Diarrhea ( a unusual warning for this type of condition)
• Excessive Urination (due to the usage of drugs such as Diuretic)
• Nausea
• Headache
• Cyanosis – A discoloration condition of the skin due to inadequate oxygen intake)
• Muscle Cramps
• Irregular heart beats
• Loss of hydrogen ions – Lead to the decreasing amount of fluid in the body of the affected person.
• Drop in Blood Pressure
• Irritability
• Convulsions
• Hyperventilation
• Loss of consciousness (can progress to coma)
• Seizures
• Numbness in the face

An individual should seek emergency medical aid when he/she has experienced the following:

• If you feel confused
• Problem in breathing
• A sudden change of the symptoms of this condition

Causes

There are numerous ways that a metabolic alkalosis can occur, including:

• Decreased acid and increased base levels in the body
• Lack of oxygen
• Low carbon dioxide
• Hypokalemic Alkalosis -Tremendous lack or loss of potassium occurs once taking certain medication such as: Diuretic
• Hypochloremic Alkalosis – Severe lack or loss of chloride happens with limitless vomiting.
• Fever
• Hyperventilation
• Compensated Alkalosis – Often occurs when the acid-base becomes stable and returns back into our body to its normal equilibrium.
• Too much bicarbonate available in the blood

A study shows that the treatment along with this certain situation if not treated quickly will generates potential problems such as the following. Let’s mention a few:

• The affected person will be in a state of coma
• Imbalance in electrolyte
• Convulsions
• Heart Failure
• Arrhythmias

Treatment

The treatment for this condition greatly depends on what are the specific reasons / causes does the disease have. The main goal of this remedy is to correct the disorder and also correct the factors which maintain the certain condition.

Listed below are the treatments available that may help to improve or to normalize the acid-base levels of the affected person.

• You may need the help of a physician for he / she may assess the severity of the condition and may prescribe a medication to administered (such as salt water solution) that is appropriate for you depending on the underlying symptoms you experienced for it may correct some chemical loss in our system.
• Monitoring of the in take of several drug medicines such as laxatives, antacids and etc. for it may cause more serious problems in the future.
• Chloride Supervision – It supports the requirements of degree depletion to this condition
• Diuretic Therapy – Too much urination takes place during this therapy wherein there is a loss of fluid from our body through the usage of certain drugs such as Diuretic, etc.
• Proton Pump – Helps in decreasing and preventing the underlying causes of the gastric acid into our body.
• Hydrochloric Acid Infusion – The ability to withdraw blood and by doing the confirmation of the severity of the condition. Through this, it will correct the chloride deficiency