Skip to main content
metabolic acidosis

metabolic acidosis

1 5.7
A condition where body fluids have too much acid, often from kidney failure
  • noun
  • /ˌmɛtəˈbɑlɪk əˈsɪdəs/
  • Specialized
translation icon : acidosis metabólica
  • The infant had metabolic acidosis secondary to diarrhea.
  • metabolic acidosis results
  • metabolic acidosis is also

Examples

  • A blood gas usually reveals a metabolic acidosis, and the lactate concentration may be increased.

    Academic text (2007)
  • Sodium bicarbonate was administered to treat his metabolic acidosis.

    Academic text (2007)
  • A normal Western diet is associated with chronic, low-grade metabolic acidosis.

    Academic text (2004)
  • The patient underwent aggressive treatment for dehydration and metabolic acidosis.

    Academic text (2008)
  • By this point, his metabolic acidosis had resolved and fluid losses from the GI tract were minimal.

    Academic text (2007)
  • Laboratory studies revealed increased prothrombin and activated partial thromboplastin times, as well as a significant metabolic acidosis on the arterial blood gas.

    Academic text (2007)
  • Hyperkalemia may be compounded by metabolic acidosis, which triggers potassium efflux from cells.

    Academic text (1995)
  • By the way, acidosis induces hyperventilation; patients with metabolic acidosis have a very characteristic deep sighing respiration.

    Blog text (7)
  • The infant had metabolic acidosis secondary to diarrhea.

  • Sodium bicarbonate was administered to treat his metabolic acidosis.

Synonyms

acidosis
vsmetabolic acidosis
  • Specialized
7 7.5

A condition with too much acid in the blood and body tissues

is a form caused by acid buildup or base loss often from kidney disease

How Acidic

metabolic acidosis
  • Specialized
1 5.7
acid-base equilibrium
  • Specialized
4.8
metabolic alkalosis
  • Specialized
6.3

Surface Forms

Morphology

metabolic + acidosis

The noun phrase is compositionally transparent: 'metabolic' (related to metabolism) modifies 'acidosis' (a condition of increased acidity), so the phrase straightforwardly means acidity in the body linked to metabolic processes. This modifier+noun pattern is regular and cross-linguistically common, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents would readily infer the basic medical meaning even if they lack detailed causal knowledge.

Etymology

Metabolic acidosis combines metabolic meaning 'the body's chemical processes' and acidosis meaning 'too much acid'. Picture the body's fluids slowly filling with acid because those processes make too much or cannot remove it, so the phrase means 'too much acid in the body' and explains why it is a health problem.