What is the problem with respiratory acidosis? How does the acidity cause the symptoms?
Respiratory acidosis is a condition that occurs when the lungs cannot remove all of the carbon dioxide the body produces. This disrupts the body’s acid-base balance causing body fluids, especially the blood, to become too acidic. Normal blood pH is maintained between 7.35 and 7.45 by the regulatory systems. The lungs regulate the amount of carbon dioxide in the blood and the kidneys regulate the bicarbonate. When the pH decreases to below 7.35 an acidosis condition is present. Acidosis means that the hydrogen ions are increased and that pH and bicarbonate ions are decreased. A greater number of hydrogen ions are present in the blood than can be absorbed by the buffer systems. Symptoms and signs depend on the rate and degree of Pco2 increase. CO2 rapidly diffuses across the blood-brain barrier. Symptoms and signs are a result of high CNS CO2 concentrations (low CNS pH) and any accompanying hypoxemia.
