Search results
Results From The WOW.Com Content Network
Electrolyte imbalance, or water-electrolyte imbalance, is an abnormality in the concentration of electrolytes in the body. Electrolytes play a vital role in maintaining homeostasis in the body. They help to regulate heart and neurological function, fluid balance , oxygen delivery , acid–base balance and much more.
Vomiting (also known as emesis, puking and throwing up) [a] is the involuntary, forceful expulsion of the contents of one's stomach through the mouth and sometimes the nose. [ 1 ]
Mild cases of metabolic alkalosis often cause no symptoms. Typical manifestations of moderate to severe metabolic alkalosis include abnormal sensations, neuromuscular irritability, tetany, abnormal heart rhythms (usually due to accompanying electrolyte abnormalities such as low levels of potassium in the blood), coma, seizures, and temporary waxing and waning confusion.
Hypochloremia (or Hypochloraemia) is an electrolyte disturbance in which there is an abnormally low level of the chloride ion in the blood. The normal serum range for chloride is 97 to 107 mEq/L. [citation needed] It rarely occurs in the absence of other abnormalities. It is sometimes associated with hypoventilation. [1]
Diagnosis of contraction alkalosis is made by correlating laboratory data with clinical history and examination. Metabolic alkalosis in the presence of decreased effective circulatory volume, loop diuretic use, or other causes of intravascular depletion such as profound diarrhea should raise suspicion for contraction alkalosis as a likely etiology in the absence of other causes.
Metabolic alkalosis can be caused by repeated vomiting, [2] resulting in a loss of hydrochloric acid in the stomach contents. Severe dehydration, and the consumption of alkali, [3] are other causes. It can also be caused by administration of diuretics [2] and endocrine disorders such as Cushing's syndrome.
Emesis that is of a bilious nature (greenish in color) localizes the obstruction to a point past the stomach. Emesis of undigested food points to an obstruction prior to the gastric outlet, such as achalasia or Zenker's diverticulum. If patient experiences reduced abdominal pain after vomiting, then obstruction is a likely etiology.
Fluid balance is an aspect of the homeostasis of organisms in which the amount of water in the organism needs to be controlled, via osmoregulation and behavior, such that the concentrations of electrolytes (salts in solution) in the various body fluids are kept within healthy ranges.