Metabolic alkalosis is caused by too much bicarbonate in the blood.

Such a disturbance is called a metabolic alkalosis (Fig. 12).

It can also occur as a compensatory response to chronic metabolic alkalosis.

In metabolic alkalosis, the breathing rate is decreased.

The causes of metabolic alkalosis can be divided into two categories, depending upon urine chloride levels.

Thus, protracted vomiting can result in metabolic alkalosis.

An excessive amount of black liquorice consumption can cause a chloride-resistant metabolic alkalosis.

In addition, patients with hyperaldosteronism will have hypernatremia, hypokalemia and metabolic alkalosis.

Electrolyte disturbance typically takes the form of a hypokalaemic, hypochloraemic, metabolic alkalosis.

A high base excess, thus metabolic alkalosis, usually involves an excess of bicarbonate.

Clinical symptoms for this disease are hypochloremic metabolic alkalosis, hypokalemia, and hypocalciuria.

Excessive use of furosemide will most likely lead to a metabolic alkalosis due to hypochloremia and hypokalemia.

If it occurs together with metabolic alkalosis (decreased blood acidity) it is often due to vomiting.

The clinical findings characteristic of Bartter syndrome are hypokalemia, metabolic alkalosis, and normal to low blood pressure.

Also, it can cause metabolic alkalosis (with signs including muscular twitchings, irritability and tetany).

Metabolic alkalosis can be caused by prolonged vomiting, resulting in a loss of hydrochloric acid with the stomach content.

Metabolic alkalosis is often present in states of volume depletion, so potassium is also lost via aldosterone-mediated mechanisms.

As respiratory acidosis often accompanies the compensation for metabolic alkalosis, and vice versa, a delicate balance is created between these two conditions.

Sodium bicarbonate is used to produce a mild metabolic alkalosis, desirable when administering large quantities of methotrexate.

The low-renin hypertension is often accompanied by hypokalemia due to urinary potassium wasting and metabolic alkalosis.

The body's compensatory response to the metabolic alkalosis is hypoventilation resulting in an elevated arterial pCO.

In such case, lowering the carbon dioxide abruptly means that the bicarbonate will be in excess and will cause a metabolic alkalosis.

In diseases featuring excess vomiting, patients develop hypochloremic metabolic alkalosis (decreased blood acidity by H and chlorine depletion).

Like hyperaldosteronism, it produces hypertension associated with low plasma renin activity, and metabolic alkalosis associated with hypokalemia.

Mineralocorticoid effects can include salt and water retention, extracellular fluid volume expansion, hypertension, potassium depletion, and metabolic alkalosis.