acid-base balance

a state of equilibrium between acidity and alkalinity of the body fluids. An acid is a substance capable of giving up a hydrogen ion during a chemical exchange, and a base is a substance that can accept it. The positively charged hydrogen ion (H⁺) is the active constituent of all acids.
Most of the body's metabolic processes produce acids as their end products, but a somewhat alkaline body fluid is required as a medium for vital cellular activities. Therefore chemical exchanges of hydrogen ions must take place continuously in order to maintain a state of equilibrium. An optimal pH (hydrogen ion concentration) between 7.35 and 7.45 must be maintained; otherwise, the enzyme systems and other biochemical and metabolic activities will not function normally.
Although the body can tolerate and compensate for slight deviations in acidity and alkalinity, if the pH drops below 7.30, the potentially serious condition of acidosis exists. If the pH goes higher than 7.50, the patient is in a state of alkalosis. In either case the disturbance of the acid-base balance is considered serious, even though there are control mechanisms by which the body can compensate for an upward or downward change in the pH. Shifts in the pH of body fluids are controlled by three major regulatory systems, which may be classified as chemical (the buffer systems), biologic (blood and cellular activity), and physiologic (the lungs and kidneys).Chemical Controls. The chemical buffer systems are dependent on the capability of certain substances to either combine with or release hydrogen ions. In the plasma and the intracellular and interstitial fluids there are three major buffer systems that regulate hydrogen ion activity: the carbonic acid–bicarbonate system, the protein buffer system, and the phosphate buffer system.
Of these three, the carbonic acid–bicarbonate system is the most important in fluids outside the cell. It is the most extensive and is the first to react to an acid-base imbalance. Carbonic acid and bicarbonate are both derived from water and carbon dioxide and therefore exist in large quantities in the body. Carbonic acid is, however, weakly ionized and needs to coexist with its salt in order to effectively remove excess hydrogen or hydroxyl ions from the extracellular fluids. Hence it is actually the carbonic acid and sodium bicarbonate buffer system that works to maintain normal levels of hydrogen ion concentrations in the extracellular fluids. It is important to remember that these two chemical components must be in the ratio of 1:20; that is, for every one part of carbonic acid (H₂CO₃) there must be twenty parts of sodium bicarbonate (NaHCO₃). It is not the absolute amount of each component that is crucial in the control of acid-base balance, but the ratio of the one substance to the other. The carbonic acid–bicarbonate buffer system is capable of either accepting or releasing hydrogen ions without forcing the pH to dangerous levels.
The protein buffer system is especially remarkable because proteins are powerful buffers that can function as either acid or base, depending on the state of the body fluids. This system is active in the plasma and in intracellular and extracellular fluids.
The phosphate buffer system operates in much the same way as the carbonic acid–bicarbonate system but is more active within the cell than in extracellular fluids.
Although the chemical buffer systems react almost instantaneously to a change in the pH of the body fluids, they cannot provide sustained regulation of the pH because they are absorbed rapidly and cannot be replaced immediately. The hydrogen ions that are not handled by the chemical buffer systems become the responsibility of other regulatory controls which respond less rapidly but are not less important.Biologic Regulators. This type of control is concerned with the shifting of excess acid or alkali in and out of the cell. As excess ions cross over the cell membrane they must do so in combination with ions of the opposite charge, or in exchange for ions of the same charge. Sodium and potassium are the two cations most often exchanged for the positively charged hydrogen ion.
The hemoglobin-oxyhemoglobin system is another regulatory control. As chloride leaves the oxygenated blood cells and enters the plasma, the bicarbonate moves from the plasma and crosses over into the cellular fluid. This reciprocal exchange between bicarbonate and chloride is a continuous process.Physiologic Regulators. The lungs begin to compensate for a metabolic acid-base imbalance within minutes of its onset. They do this by regulating the retention or the excretion of carbon dioxide. If acidosis is present, respiratory activity is increased so that the arterial CO₂ concentration falls. If alkalosis is present, respiratory activity is automatically decreased, and CO₂ is retained, thus producing a compensatory respiratory acidosis.
The kidneys act as regulators by reabsorbing bicarbonate when it is needed to control excess acidity and by excreting it when there is a deficit of acid in the body. The kidneys also facilitate the excretion of excess hydrogen ions in combination with phosphate ions (in the form of phosphoric acid), or in combination with ammonia (excreted in the form of ammonium).
Imbalances of the acid-base ratio are discussed under acidosis and alkalosis. Diagnosis and monitoring of either of these conditions are greatly enhanced by periodic determination of the pH and by blood gas analysis.

ac·id-base bal·ance

the normal balance between acid and base in the blood plasma, expressed in the hydrogen ion concentration or pH, resulting from the relative amounts of acidic and basic materials ingested and produced by body metabolism, compared with the relative amounts of acidic and basic materials excreted from the body and consumed by body metabolism; the normal state of acid-base balance is not one of neutrality, with equal concentrations of hydrogen and hydroxyl ions, but a more alkaline state with a certain excess of hydroxyl ions. Synonym(s): acid-base equilibrium

Acid-Base Balance

A physiologic (“normal”) state defined by serum pH, which normally is slightly alkaline.
Milieu Acids, CO2, molecules with H+ ions are buffered by alkaline substances, primarily HCO3, with less buffering by phosphate, proteins, haemoglobin, and other substances
Acidosis Raised CO2 or reduced HCO3
Alkalosis Reduced CO2 or raised HCO3
Respiratory CO2
Metabolic HCO3
The lungs regulate CO2 levels by altering breathing rates; CO2 is lost with faster breathing and increased with slower, providing rapid, albeit temporary regulation of pH. Major long-term regulation of pH occurs via the kidneys, which excrete acid, and excrete or produce HCO3.

acid-base balance

Acid-base homeostasis Nephrology A physiologic state defined by the pH in the serum, which normally is a tad alkaline; acids CO₂ and molecules containing H+, which are buffered by alkaline substances, primarily HCO₃, with some buffering by phosphate, proteins, Hb, and other substances; ↑ CO₂ or ↓ HCO₃ causes acidosis; conversely, ↓ CO₂ or ↑ HCO₃ causes alkalosis; if the defect is caused by changes in CO₂, it is a respiratory acidosis or respiratory alkalosis; if the defect is caused by changes in HCO₃ levels, it is a metabolic acidosis or metabolic alkalosis; the lungs regulate the levels of CO₂ through changes in the breathing rate; CO₂ is lost with faster breathing and ↑ when breathing slows, which provides fast but temporary regulation of body pH; major, long-term regulation of body pH occurs in the kidneys, which excrete acids, and excrete or create HCO₃ for use in the body

ac·id-base bal·ance

(as'id-bās bal'ăns) The normal balance between acid and base in the blood plasma, expressed in the hydrogen ion concentration or pH, resulting from the relative amounts of acidic and basic materials ingested and produced by body metabolism, compared with the relative amounts of acidic and basic materials excreted from the body and consumed by body metabolism; the normal state of acid-base balance is not one of neutrality, with equal concentrations of hydrogen and hydroxyl ions, but a more alkaline state with a certain excess of hydroxyl ions.

acid-base balance

The effect of mechanisms that operate to ensure that the body fluids remain nearly neutral, being neither significantly acidic nor alkaline. This balance is maintained, in spite of the acids produced in metabolic processes, by the controlling action of the kidneys, by breathing out increased or decreased quantities of carbon dioxide as required and by the chemical buffering effect of bicarbonate in the blood. See also ACIDOSIS.

acid-base balance

the maintenance of a constant internal environment in the body through BUFFER systems maintaining a balance between acids and bases.

Acid-base balance

The condition that exists when the body's carbonic acid-bicarbonate buffer system is in equilibrium, helping to maintain the blood pH at a normal level of 7.35-7.45.Mentioned in: Blood Gas Analysis, Electrolyte Disorders

ac·id-base bal·ance

(as'id-bās bal'ăns) Normal balance between acid and base in the blood plasma, expressed in the hydrogen ion concentration or pH, resulting from the relative amounts of acidic and basic materials ingested and produced by body metabolism, compared with the relative amounts of acidic and basic materials excreted from the body and consumed by body metabolism.

acid-base balance

acid-base balance

acid-base balance

acid-base balance

acid-base balance

ac·id-base bal·ance

Acid-Base Balance

acid-base balance

ac·id-base bal·ance

acid-base balance

acid-base balance

Acid-base balance

ac·id-base bal·ance

acid-base balance

Synonyms for acid-base balance

noun (physiology) the normal equilibrium between acids and alkalis in the body

Synonyms

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