Alkalosis means your blood is dangerously low in acidity caused by an accumulation of alkali or depletion of acid. This health condition results when carbon dioxide (an acid) decreases or bicarbonate (a base) increases. Essentially, your body is too alkaline causing the pH to be too high.
Your blood’s acid to base balance needs to be precisely maintained because any deviation can cause severe disturbances to various organs. For the most part, your kidneys and lungs are the organs that control a healthy acid base balance.
A couple of common causes for alkalosis are high altitudes, hyperventilation and excessive vomiting. And alkalosis is the opposite of acidosis, which is pH that’s too low.
Metabolic alkalosis means your body has more base than acid in your system. Whereas, respiratory alkalosis is a drop in the amount of carbon dioxide in your blood, which causes the pH balance to become more alkaline. One thing that sets these two apart is the causes for their alkalosis.
Metabolic alkalosis can be caused by:
- steroids
- vomiting
- antacids
- diuretics
- laxatives
- kidney problems
- excessive urination
- dramatic decrease of potassium & sodium blood levels
Some causes of respiratory alkalosis include:
- fever
- anxiety
- asthma
- pregnancy
- liver failure
- pneumonia
- high altitude
- liver disease
- lung disease
- brain tumors
- brain swelling
- drug overdose
- lack of oxygen
- hyperventilation
- serious infections
- metabolic acidosis
- nervous system tumors
- carbon monoxide poisoning
- salicylate poisoning~ aspirin
The initial symptoms of metabolic alkalosis is slowed breathing. As your alkalosis worsens, it may cause you symptoms of:
- apnea
- diarrhea
- twitching
- cyanosis
- irritability
- confusion
- hypotension
- rapid heart rate
- nausea, vomiting
- irregular heart beats
Severe cases of metabolic alkalosis can lead to convulsions, heart failure and coma. However, if this alkalosis health condition is treated promptly, long term complications can be avoided.
Treatment starts by correcting your alkaline imbalance. This may require a salt water solution, potassium chloride and drugs to control blood pressure, heart rate and vomiting. Then the cause of your metabolic alkalosis must be determined.
Hyperventilation is the main cause and symptom of respiratory alkalosis. During hyperventilation, the oxygen carbon dioxide exchange steps up, causing too much carbon dioxide to be exhaled. In turn, the pH of your blood rises causing alkalosis.
Other symptoms of respiratory alkalosis may encompass:
- agitation
- seizures
- dizziness
- light headedness
- tingling, numbness
- irregular heart beats
- muscle twitching, spasms, weakness
Severe respiratory alkalosis can cause your muscle to spasm to such an extent that they lock in a rigid position, known as tetany.
Treatment involves finding the cause for respiratory alkalosis. If anxiety causes you to hyperventilate, then breathing into a paper bag and inhaling your own exhaled carbon dioxide sometimes helps reduce alkalosis symptoms. Antibiotics may be necessary for any bacterial infections. When alkalosis is caused by a drug overdose, poisoning treatment will be initiated.
And should respiratory alkalosis trigger metabolic acidosis, then symptoms of that health condition may be called for as well.