title: Acid-base disorders in medicine.
abstract: The practice of internal medicine involves daily exposure to abnormalities of acid-base balance. A wide variety of disease states either predispose patients to develop these conditions or lead to the use of medications that alter renal, gastrointestinal, or pulmonary function and secondarily alter acid-base balance. In addition, primary acid-base disease follows specific forms of renal tubular dysfunction (renal tubular acidosis). We review the acid-base physiologic functions of the kidney and gastrointestinal tract and the current understanding of acid-base pathophysiologic conditions. This includes a review of whole animal and renal tubular physiologic characteristics and a discussion of the current knowledge of the molecular biology of acid-base transport. We stress an approach to diagnosis that relies on knowledge of acid-base physiologic function, and we include discussion of the appropriate treatment of each disorder considered. Finally, we include a discussion of the effects of acidosis and alkalosis on human physiologic functions.
authors.affiliation: Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Section of General Internal Medicine, Lubbock, USA.
authors.forename: M E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Laski
authors.forename: N A
authors.initials: NA
authors.lastname: Kurtzman
mesh_terms: D000136:Acid-Base Equilibrium / Q000502:physiology; D000137:Acid-Base Imbalance / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy; D006801:Humans