Talk:Acidosis

Reknihtdivad (talk) 14:10, 24 October 2023 (UTC)

Symptoms in Dying Patients
Our hospice care care nurse suggested that a sickly-sweet smell is symptomatic of acidosis and is one of the signs of impending death. I have so far been unable to verify. I'm not sure something so subjective is valid.


 * Hmmm. Probably not. Most causes of dying involve a degree of (usually metabolic) acidosis, but lactate is odourless at the concentrations observed in moribund people. JFW | T@lk  08:19, 28 December 2005 (UTC)


 * She's probably referring to the fruity smell of ketone bodies as a result of ketogenic acidosis. Specifically in a hospice setting, yes, it probably is a sign of deterioration and impending death.  — Preceding unsigned comment added by 98.246.173.144 (talk) 19:34, 31 October 2012 (UTC)

Physiological effects of acidosis
I'd like to see some more info on physiological effects of acidosis. E.g., why do we need to correct acidosis? What would be the effect of prolonged or severe acidosis? -- 201.19.72.37 14:00, 28 July 2007 (UTC)

RTA does not mean acidic urine
the link-out at the top is confusing. RTA is acidosis (acidic pH of blood) with inappropriately alkaline tubular contents. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 165.124.124.215 (talk) 20:14, 8 December 2007 (UTC)

Gastrointestinal acidosis
Shouldn't there be a section about gastrointestinal acidosis? It's a common medical term, in layman's terms known as "acid stomach" or "heartburn", although these latter two terms can refer to other more specific disorders. Fuzzform (talk) 22:37, 11 January 2008 (UTC)

Your definition of acidosis in incorrect; acidosis is a general term meaning an acidic environment in the body. Acidemia is acidosis of the blood. Just as gastro-intestinal acidosis is acoidosis of the gastro area of the body. Acidosis in its general definition is an overall acidic environment in the body. This is almost ALWAYS the case when we focus on a particular area that has been affected by these acids. Overall acidity happens first, later injuries take place in the weak areas (genetics) of the body. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 71.168.108.249 (talk) 12:17, 22 March 2011 (UTC)

If anyone reads this & is a doctor, I need your opinion. PLEASE.
Removed request for medical advise. Plrase consult your physician as Wikipedia is not meant as substitute for that. Nomen Nescio Gnothi seauton 00:31, 23 January 2008 (UTC)

Causes section
Could we have someone add a "Causes" section please? 219.90.136.12 (talk) 22:30, 13 December 2010 (UTC)

Acidosis vs. Acidemia
I was just reading through this article and had a doubt, but want to confirm this before I change it.

Acidosis => Acidity of tissue (pH of 7.35-7.45) Acidemia => Acidity of blood (same pH range) —Preceding unsigned comment added by 99.232.10.205 (talk) 01:20, 9 March 2011 (UTC)


 * No, it is correct as described in the article already: "The term acidemia describes the state of low blood pH, while acidosis is used to describe the processes leading to these states." --AaronM (talk) 11:15, 10 March 2011 (UTC)

Acidemia is a state of the blood and acidosis is a process. They are different things. Acidemia should have its own Wikipedia page different from acidosis. If you consider them the same (almost always persons with a metabolic acidosis like lactic acidosis or diabetic ketoacidosis will have an low pH and therefore be acidemic) but if you consider acidosis the same as acidemia you will eventually find yourself down a rabbit hole with no way out other than to say that they are in fact different. Acidemia as a term should not redirect to acidosis but to acidemia.

This Wikimedia Commons image is linked in the Acidosis article. It shows that the severity of metabolic acidosis is related to the bicarbonate level not the pH. Acidemia is different. It depends on the pH.Reknihtdivad (talk) 13:10, 4 November 2023 (UTC)

Respiratory acidosis
The article lists the possible causes of respiratory acidosis, which apparently does not include breathing air at an elevated level of CO2. Is this just an inadvertent omission, or is there some other reason for not considering it a possible cause of respiratory acidosis? --Vaughan Pratt (talk) 19:40, 17 November 2011 (UTC)

Elevated CO2 in the ambient air is essentially a poisoning. Even with normal breathing the CO2 we normally clear won't and the blood levels will rise. I think it is correct to say that an elevated level of CO2 represents respiratory acidosis with an asterisk or footnote that mentions that this assumes that the ambient air contains normally very low level of CO2. As of May 2022 (0.04%)

Correct reference ?
I'm not able to find the next reference (reference 1). 2 different libraries can't find it either. Is it a book? Is it an article in a journal? "Needham, A. 2004. Comparative and Environmental Physiology. Acidosis and Alkalosis." I really would like to read the original text. Thank you. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 193.190.131.67 (talk) 13:37, 9 December 2013 (UTC)

What causes it?
The article doesn't seem to say anything at all about how acidosis comes about. That seems like a rather large gap that needs to be filled. GeoEvan (talk) 23:52, 27 November 2023 (UTC)