Primary Acid-Base Disorders

There are four primary acid-base disorders:

1. Respiratory Acidosis
    Eg: COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder), emphysema, chronic bronchitis
    Tx: Assisted respiration

2. Respiratory Alkalosis
    Eg: Mountain climbing, hysteria, panic attack
    Tx: Breathe into a paper bag

3. Metabolic Acidosis
    Eg: Starvation, diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA), toxins
    Ix: High Anion Gap (high AG) - see MUDPILES, GOLDMARK & KURT; Osmolal Gap (OG) +- High AG

4. Metabolic Alkalosis
    Eg: Diarrhoea, prolonged vomiting
    Ix: "Alkaline tide" - a postprandial phenomenon up to 2 hours