Home › DHA Nursing Licensing Exam › Anatomy & Physiology › Fluid, Electrolyte and Acid-Base Balance › Metabolic acidosis is described as a primary def…
Metabolic acidosis is described as a primary deficiency of which substance?
ACarbonic acid
BPotassium ion
CBicarbonate ion
DChloride ion
Answer & Solution
Correct answer: C. Bicarbonate ion
1. Acidosis means a blood pH below 7.35, however it arose.
2. The metabolic form arises when there is too little bicarbonate in the blood.
3. That is why it is named a primary bicarbonate deficiency.
4. A primary carbonic acid excess would instead be respiratory acidosis.
5. Its commonest cause is organic acids or excess ketones in the blood.
_Source: OpenStax Anatomy and Physiology (CC BY 4.0), Ch 26 "Fluid, Electrolyte, and Acid-Base Balance", section Metabolic Acidosis: Primary Bicarbonate Deficiency_
Related questions
Under the influence of aldosterone, what happens to sodium and potassium in the distal tubWhich laboratory pattern fits metabolic alkalosis once compensation is under way?In respiratory acidosis, how does the kidney compensate?When blood potassium is higher than normal, what happens to bicarbonate conservation in thProtein buffering accounts for what share of the buffering power of the blood?A vitamin D deficiency lowers calcium absorption and can lead to which pair of conditions?Excess potassium in the extracellular fluid has which effect on excitable membranes?At the cellular level, what happens when the blood sodium concentration falls below normal