Acidosis Types

Chemical reactions occur in the human body every moment. The lungs and kidneys work together to keep the body in chemical balance, maintaining a pH close to neutral. When the level of acidic chemicals in the blood is abnormally elevated, the body is in a state of acidosis. Excessive carbon dioxide or acids from cellular metabolism and some medications can cause acidosis. Acidosis is harmful because the excessive acid adversely affects the pace of the chemical reactions of the body.

Respiratory Acidosis

A buildup of carbon dioxide in the blood causes the condition respiratory acidosis. Carbon dioxide is normally released from the blood by the lungs. When you exhale, the air you breathe out is primarily carbon dioxide. Conditions that adversely affect the lungs' ability to release carbon dioxide can lead to respiratory acidosis. Lung diseases such as chronic bronchitis, emphysema and asthma can decrease the level of carbon dioxide released from the lungs. Physical problems that make it difficult to breathe deeply such as severe scoliosis, broken ribs or extreme obesity can also cause carbon dioxide buildup in the blood. Intoxication with drugs, such as narcotics and barbiturates, or alcohol suppresses breathing rate, which can lead to excessive blood carbon dioxide and respiratory acidosis.

Diabetic Ketoacidosis

Diabetic ketoacidosis or DKA is a complication primarily of type 1 diabetes mellitus. When blood insulin levels are low, blood sugar--the body's preferred energy source--cannot enter the body tissues. In the absence of sugar, the body breaks down fat for energy. Byproducts of fat breakdown called ketones build up in the blood. Ketones are acidic. As they accumulate, the body sinks deeper into a state of diabetic ketoacidosis. DKA is a serious condition. In "Diabetes in America," the National Center for Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases reports approximately 9 to 14 percent of people who develop DKA die.

Lactic Acidosis

Normally, when the body breaks down sugar for energy, it uses oxygen to do so. This is one of the primary reasons the body needs oxygen. If body tissues are not receiving sufficient oxygen, an alternative process can be used to break down sugar without oxygen. A byproduct of this alternative process is the chemical lactic acid. When body tissues produce large quantities of lactic acid, it accumulates in the blood, causing lactic acidosis. Shock and massive blood loss can cause lactic acidosis because both are associated with exceedingly low blood pressure, which deprives body tissues of oxygen. Less severe forms of lactic acidosis may occur with extreme exercise, seizures and heat stroke.
Some medications may cause lactic acidosis, including the type 2 diabetes medicine metformin. Although this complication is rare, it carries a high mortality rate. A five-year study of metformin-related lactic acidosis published in 2008 in the journal "Critical Care" reported a death rate of 30 percent for this condition.