The Effects Of Respiratory Alkalosis

Respiratory alkalosis is the development of high pH, or basic, blood, as the result of breathing-related causes. Unlike metabolic alkalosis, respiratory alkalosis doesn't result from kidney problems or medications---unless those medications affect respiration rate. While mild alkalosis isn't a significant problem, as the body works to maintain a constant pH and can correct for small deviations, significant or prolonged alkalosis has a number of effects.

Depressed Respirations

One of the earliest effects of mild respiratory alkalosis is depression of respiration rate. Breathing, unlike many bodily functions, is neither entirely reflexive nor entirely under conscious control, explains Dr. Gary Thibodeau in his book, "Anatomy and Physiology." Instead, breathing is automatic under most circumstances, with humans able to override unconscious control by choosing to increase, decrease, or cease respirations for a time. As such, it's a bit easier to observe the effects of mild alkalosis on a sleeping or sedated patient, since conscious control of breathing doesn't occur and respiration control is entirely reflexive. Carbon dioxide, a metabolic waste product, is slightly acidic. As such, by reducing respiration rate or depressing respirations entirely, the body increases acidity---and thereby reduced basicity---of the blood, to counter alkalosis.

Arrhythmias

Anesthesiologists have to pay careful attention to a patient's blood pH because anesthesia reduces consciousness significantly enough that it can suppress respirations, or can cause rapid, shallow breathing, which can lead to respiratory alkalosis. According to the Anaesthesia Education Website, one of the effects of alkalosis is cardiac arrhythmia, in which the heartbeat becomes erratic and irregular. This is dangerous to patients, because an irregularly beating heart fails to deliver sufficient blood and, therefore, fails to deliver sufficient oxygen and nutrition to body cells.

Hypoxia

One very interesting sign of respiratory alkalosis has to do with the chemistry of hemoglobin, the compound in red blood cells that collects oxygen from the lungs and delivers it to the cells. Even if a patient is breathing appropriately and the heart is beating in a normal fashion, it's possible for patients with respiratory alkalosis to exhibit hypoxia, or lack of sufficient oxygen to the tissues. This is because hemoglobin unloads oxygen more easily in slightly acidic environments, explain Drs. Mary Campbell and Shawn Farrell in their book, "Biochemistry." Alkaline blood, therefore, leads to reduced ability of hemoglobin to offload the oxygen it has carried from the lungs, leaving tissues oxygen deficient even if the bloodstream has plenty of oxygen in it. Symptoms of hypoxia through this mechanism include tingling and bluing of the extremities, and can include confusion and mental deficits.