Kidney disease causes low bicarbonate because the kidneys are not able to filter the acids out of the blood and maintain the right and correct balance of bicarbonate in your blood.
In kidney disease your kidneys are not working as they should and as a result cannot filter out the acids from the blood as well as it should, which then leads to a buildup of acids in your blood which is called metabolic acidosis.
The kidneys are also not able to regenerate bicarbonate and synthesize ammonia and the kidneys are not able to excrete hydrogen ions.
To treat low bicarbonate levels in the body your doctor will often prescribe medications with sodium bicarbonate which is baking soda or sodium citrate to help balance the acids in your body.
Dietary changes can also help treat low bicarbonate levels.
Your doctor may also prescribe calcium citrate, calcium acetate or calcium carbonate to treat low bicarbonate levels.
The symptoms of low sodium bicarbonate are feeling weak, feeling tired or fatigued, vomiting, not wanting to eat, loss of appetite, long and deep breaths, headache, feeling sick to the stomach, fast heartbeat and confusion.
Low sodium bicarbonate in the blood can indicate you have metabolic acidosis which is a buildup of acid in your body.
A low bicarbonate level in diabetes is a bicarbonate level of 18 mEq/L or less and indicates diabetic ketoacidosis or metabolic acidosis.
When your serum bicarbonate level falls below 5 mEq/L it indicates you have severe diabetes ketoacidosis.
If your serum bicarbonate is high the high serum bicarbonate leads to metabolic alkalosis which is a condition that is characterized by excessive blood alkalinity.
When you have too much bicarbonate it can cause irritability, muscle twitching, muscle spasms, muscle cramps, fatigue, tremor, confusion, numbness and tingling, seizures and abnormal heart rhythm.
The causes of high serum bicarbonate levels are metabolic alkalosis, loss of acid from your body such as through liver disease, diuretic therapy, COPD, excessive administration of bicarbonate or other alkalizing agents, dehydration or vomiting.
An elevated bicarbonate level is when your bicarbonate level is higher than 35 mEq/L and indicates you have a condition called metabolic alkalosis that occurs when your body has too much bicarbonate.
A normal bicarbonate level for adults is between 22 and 32 milliequivalents per liter or mEq/L.
The cause of elevated bicarbonate levels are loss of acid from your body such as through liver disease, diuretic therapy, COPD, excessive administration of bicarbonate or other alkalizing agents, dehydration or vomiting.
Symptoms of elevated bicarbonate in the body include muscle twitching, irritability, muscle cramps, fatigue, tremor, fatigue, confusion, tingling and numbness, seizures and abnormal heart rhythm.
If your bicarbonate is low it means that you may have metabolic acidosis which is a condition where you have too much acid in your body.
A normal range for bicarbonate levels in the body is 22-29 mEq/L, while bicarbonate levels that are between 12-22 mEq/L indicate you have metabolic acidosis.
Levels of bicarbonate below 12 mEq/L indicate you have severe metabolic acidosis.
Having a low level of bicarbonate in the blood can cause a condition called metabolic acidosis or too much acid in your body.
A range of conditions that can cause metabolic acidosis include liver failure, kidney disease and diarrhea.
The signs and symptoms of low sodium bicarbonate in the body include.
Loss of appetite.
Vomiting.
Nausea.
Feeling very tired and or weak.
Confusion.
Fast heartbeat.
Changes in your breathing.
At first your breaths are usually fast and deep and often described as air hunger and then as the acidosis gets worse your breathing becomes slower, deeper and harder.
Bicarbonate in the body is excreted and reabsorbed by your kidneys.
This helps to regulate your body's pH, or acid balance.
Bicarbonate in the body also works with sodium, potassium, and chloride.
Acidosis in diabetes ketoacidosis is caused by the overproduction of β-hydroxybutyric acid and acetoacetic acid.
At physiological pH, these 2 ketoacids dissociate completely, and the excess hydrogen ions bind the bicarbonate, resulting in decreased serum bicarbonate levels.