Swallowing toxic substances such as antifreeze or excessive amounts of aspirin can also lead to metabolic acidosis.
Severe metabolic acidosis may lead to shock or death. In some situations, metabolic acidosis can be a mild, chronic condition.
Symptoms:
Most symptoms are caused by the disease or condition that is causing the metabolic acidosis. Metabolic acidosis itself usually causes rapid breathing. Confusion or lethargy may also occur.
Signs and tests:
Blood tests to diagnose metabolic acidosis may include:
An arterial blood gas to assess the severity of the metabolic acidosis
A metabolic panel to reveal the cause and severity of the metabolic acidosis
A complete blood count (CBC) to assess possible causes of metabolic acidosis
Review Date: 2/13/2006
Reviewed By: David A. Kaufman, M.D., Assistant Professor, Division of Pulmonary, CriticalCare & Sleep Medicine, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, NY. Reviewprovided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.
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Diabetes, Renal Disease
