Table: Acid-Base Disturbances and the Body's Response

Acid-Base Disturbances and the Body's Response

Primary Disturbance	Example	Initial Blood pH	Compensatory Mechanism	Compensatory Change in Blood pH
Metabolic acidosis	Increased acid production due to diabetic ketoacidosis Diabetic Ketoacidosis Diabetic ketoacidosis is an acute complication of diabetes that occurs mostly in type 1 diabetes mellitus. Symptoms of diabetic ketoacidosis include nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, and a characteristic... read more	Too low	Increased breathing rate to expel carbon dioxide	Increases back toward normal
Respiratory acidosis	Decreased ability to breathe due to severe chronic lung disease Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease is persistent narrowing (blocking, or obstruction) of the airways occurring with emphysema, chronic obstructive bronchitis, or both disorders. Cigarette... read more	Too low	Increased excretion of acid in the urine	Increases back toward normal
Metabolic alkalosis	Loss of stomach acid due to vomiting	Too high	Decreased breathing rate to retain carbon dioxide	Decreases back toward normal
Respiratory alkalosis	Hyperventilation due to anxiety	Too high	Increased excretion of alkali in the urine	Decreases back toward normal