Regulation of Acid-Base Balance
50 questions available
Questions
What is the normal concentration of hydrogen ions (H+) in the extracellular fluid, expressed in mEq/L?
View answer and explanationWhich of the three primary acid-base regulatory systems in the body is the slowest to respond to a change in H+ concentration?
View answer and explanationWhat is the normal pH of venous blood and interstitial fluids?
View answer and explanationThe bicarbonate buffer system consists of a weak acid and a bicarbonate salt. What are these two components?
View answer and explanationWhat is the pK of the phosphate buffer system, and why is this significant for its function in body fluids?
View answer and explanationAccording to the Henderson-Hasselbalch equation, what is the effect of an increase in bicarbonate (HCO3-) concentration on the pH of the extracellular fluid?
View answer and explanationIn what two locations is the phosphate buffer system particularly important?
View answer and explanationWhat percentage of the total chemical buffering of body fluids occurs inside the cells, primarily from intracellular proteins?
View answer and explanationWhat is the isohydric principle regarding the body's buffer systems?
View answer and explanationHow much can doubling the normal alveolar ventilation rate raise the extracellular fluid pH?
View answer and explanationWhat is the approximate efficiency of the respiratory mechanism for controlling H+ concentration in response to a metabolic disturbance?
View answer and explanationHow much nonvolatile acid does the body typically produce each day from the metabolism of proteins?
View answer and explanationIn which segments of the renal tubules does H+ secretion occur via secondary active transport coupled to sodium-hydrogen counter-transport?
View answer and explanationWhat is the primary mechanism for H+ secretion in the intercalated cells of the late distal and collecting tubules?
View answer and explanationWhat is the approximate minimal urine pH that can be achieved in normal kidneys?
View answer and explanationWhen the kidneys generate 'new' HCO3-, what is the net effect?
View answer and explanationWhat is the primary source of the ammonium ion (NH4+) that is used in the ammonia buffer system of the kidneys?
View answer and explanationFor each molecule of glutamine metabolized in the proximal tubules, how many NH4+ ions are secreted and how many HCO3- ions are reabsorbed?
View answer and explanationWhat is the definition of 'titratable acid' in the context of quantifying renal acid-base excretion?
View answer and explanationWhat is the most important stimulus for increasing H+ secretion by the tubules in acidosis?
View answer and explanationWhat effect does hypokalemia (decreased plasma potassium concentration) have on renal H+ secretion?
View answer and explanationAn acidosis caused by a primary decrease in HCO3- concentration is termed what?
View answer and explanationIn a patient with severe chronic acidosis, what is the maximum amount of H+ that can be excreted in the urine per day, and what is the primary form of this excretion?
View answer and explanationWhat is a common cause of metabolic acidosis characterized by the loss of large amounts of sodium bicarbonate into the feces?
View answer and explanationWhat is the primary compensatory response to respiratory alkalosis?
View answer and explanationIn a clinical analysis of a simple acid-base disorder, what finding would be expected for a simple metabolic acidosis after partial respiratory compensation?
View answer and explanationWhat is the normal range for the plasma anion gap?
View answer and explanationMetabolic acidosis caused by diabetic ketoacidosis or lactic acidosis would be associated with which type of anion gap?
View answer and explanationWhy is the bicarbonate buffer system considered the most powerful extracellular buffer despite having a pK of 6.1, which is far from the normal blood pH of 7.4?
View answer and explanationWhat is the overall buffering power of the respiratory system compared to all other chemical buffers in the extracellular fluid combined?
View answer and explanationWhat is the term for a molecule that can release hydrogen ions in a solution?
View answer and explanationApproximately how much bicarbonate (HCO3-) do the kidneys filter each day under normal conditions?
View answer and explanationWhat percentage of HCO3- reabsorption occurs in the proximal tubule?
View answer and explanationThe reabsorption of filtered HCO3- from the renal tubules depends on its initial interaction with what substance in the tubular lumen?
View answer and explanationIn a situation of metabolic alkalosis, what is the renal response regarding H+ and HCO3-?
View answer and explanationUnder normal conditions, what percentage of the daily acid excretion is accounted for by the ammonia buffer system?
View answer and explanationWhat is the primary abnormality in respiratory alkalosis?
View answer and explanationWhat condition is a frequent cause of metabolic acidosis due to the formation of excess quantities of acetoacetic acid?
View answer and explanationHow does the administration of most diuretics (excluding carbonic anhydrase inhibitors) typically lead to metabolic alkalosis?
View answer and explanationWhat is the first step in diagnosing a simple acid-base disorder from an arterial blood sample?
View answer and explanationA patient has a low pH and a low plasma HCO3- concentration. What additional finding would confirm a diagnosis of simple metabolic acidosis with respiratory compensation?
View answer and explanationThe plasma anion gap is a diagnostic concept used to estimate the difference between what two groups?
View answer and explanationWhat is hyperchloremic metabolic acidosis?
View answer and explanationWhy does extracellular fluid volume depletion tend to cause metabolic alkalosis?
View answer and explanationWhich of the following conditions is a cause of normal anion gap (hyperchloremic) metabolic acidosis?
View answer and explanationWhen a strong acid like HCl is added to the bicarbonate buffer system, what is the immediate chemical result?
View answer and explanationWhat is the primary role of the protein hemoglobin in acid-base balance?
View answer and explanationIf a person's arterial pH drops from 7.4 to 7.0 due to an acid infusion, what would be the approximate pH after the respiratory system compensates?
View answer and explanationWhat is the net acid excretion by the kidneys calculated as?
View answer and explanationIn a case of respiratory acidosis, what is the primary derangement and what is the renal compensatory response?
View answer and explanation