What Is Acid-Base Balance?

For human blood to remain healthy it must remain to some extent on the base side of neutral on the pH scale. Neutral on the pH scale is 7.0, which means the ideal acid-base balance of the body is slightly alkaline or approximately a pH of 7.4. The brain attempts to maintain this balance exactly through control of the lung respiration, kidney excretion and the body's natural buffering system.

Function

Lungs control the balance by the amount of carbon dioxide exhaled during normal respiration. Carbon dioxide is typically acidic and a waste by-product from the metabolism of oxygen in the blood. The brain controls the amount and speed of carbon dioxide release through regulating the number of breaths inhaled and exhaled. Faster breathing means there is an excessive build up of acid in the blood. Controlling the amount of acid excreted by the kidneys is another function controlled by the brain.
The difference between the lungs and kidneys is that the brain can make rapid changes in the acid level in the blood to control the acid-base balance, while the kidneys often take days to make changes in the amount of acid or base excreted from the body. Minimization of changes in blood chemistry, acid-base balance, is accomplished by the body's natural buffering system controlled by the brain. This system uses carbonic acid and bicarbonate ions to regulate the amount of acids and bases in the blood. Carbonic acid is created by carbon dioxide in the body's blood. Bicarbonate ions are a weak base formed as a by-product of carbonic acid.

Effects

Normal blood chemistry is a result of a properly functioning and healthy body. The body will maintain the correct acid-base balanced blood as long as the person sustains a healthy life style or a disease does not enter the body. Also a person who eats a well balanced diet of fruits, vegetables, meats and fish helps sustain their body's acid-base balanced blood chemistry.

Significance

Any abnormality in the acid-base balance in the human body may lead to acidosis, which means the blood pH level is more acidic or a pH level less than 7.35. A second condition that may arise is called alkalosis, which means the pH level of the blood has too little acid or a pH level greater than 7.45. The normal average for pH balanced blood is 7.4. Either one of the acid-base imbalances may result in serious organ disorders.

Types

Indicators of possible kidney problems for a patient are the presence of metabolic acidosis or alkalosis. This means the kidneys have an imbalance of acid or base excretion. Another indicator of acidosis or alkalosis is when there is an acid-base imbalance in respiratory exhaling of carbon dioxide. An acid-base imbalance indicates the pH buffer system, natural weak acids and bases, in the human body is not functioning properly. This imbalance may be a result of not eating and exercising properly or that the body has contracted a disease affecting specific organs, such as the lungs or kidneys.

Warning

Symptoms of acidosis are not typically differentiated from diseases from which the body may be suffering. However, it may result in weakness, nausea or vomiting. Symptoms of alkalosis are more noticeable and include dizziness, light-headedness or a sense of numbing in feet or hands. Most people are not aware of the symptoms of either of these conditions; regular health checkups are necessary to avoid the complications associated with irregular acid-base balance of blood chemistry.