Mouth Breathing
Mouth breathing occurs when a person breathes primarily through the mouth rather than the nose, often due to nasal obstruction or other health issues
Metabolic Acidosis
What happens if one develops metabolic acidosis?
Metabolic acidosis may or may not cause any signs and symptoms. Symptoms can encompass all or some of the following:
- Weakness
- Fatigue easily
- Headache
- Mental confusion
- Trouble breathing
- Fast heartbeat
- Loss of appetite
- Nausea and vomiting
If metabolic acidosis is not controlled, it can lead to long-term problems that may include:
- Bone loss, which can lead to osteoporosis (thin, brittle bones)
- Muscle loss
- Hyperglycemia (spike in blood sugar)
- Worsening of existing chronic kidney disease
There are several types of metabolic acidosis:
- Diabetic acidosis (also called diabetic ketoacidosis and DKA) develops when substances called ketone bodies (which are acidic) build up during uncontrolled diabetes (usually type 1 diabetes).
- Hyperchloremic acidosis is caused by the loss of too much sodium bicarbonate from the body, which can happen with severe diarrhea.
- Kidney disease (uremia, distal renal tubular acidosis or proximal renal tubular acidosis).
- Lactic acidosis.
- Poisoning by aspirin, ethylene glycol (found in antifreeze), or methanol.
- Severe dehydration.
Diagnosis:
These tests can help diagnose acidosis. They can also determine whether the cause is a breathing problem or a metabolic problem. Tests may include:
- Arterial or venous blood gas
- Basic metabolic panel, (a group of blood tests that measure your sodium and potassium levels, kidney function, and other chemicals and functions)
- Blood ketones
- Lactic acid test
- Urine ketones
- Urine pH
Treatment
Treatment is aimed at the health problem causing the acidosis. In some cases, sodium bicarbonate (the chemical in baking soda) may be given to reduce the acidity of the blood. Often, one may receive lots of fluids through the vein.
Prognosis
The outlook will depend on the underlying disease causing the condition.
Possible Complications
Extreme metabolic acidosis may lead to shock or death.
Seek Medical help ASAP or call 911 if one has symptoms of any disease process that can cause Metabolic Acidosis.
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