Definition

1. Noun:
   • A pathological condition: Alkalosis is a medical condition characterized by an abnormally high level of alkalinity (or a low concentration of hydrogen ions) in the blood and other body tissues, disrupting the body's normal acid-base balance.

Usage

• Alkalosis is a clinical diagnosis, typically identified through blood tests.
• It is often discussed in contrast to its opposite condition, acidosis.
• The term is primarily used in medical, physiological, and biochemical contexts.

Examples

• Noun:
  • The patient's rapid breathing was a symptom of respiratory alkalosis.
  • Metabolic alkalosis can result from prolonged vomiting.
  • The doctor ordered tests to check for alkalosis.

Advanced Usage

• "Compensated alkalosis": A state where the body has partially corrected the pH imbalance, though the underlying alkalotic condition persists.
  • Despite the alkalosis, her blood pH was nearly normal due to renal compensation.
• Alkalosis is frequently modified by its cause or type, forming common compound terms in medical literature. These are considered distinct technical terms:
  • Respiratory alkalosis: Caused by excessive exhalation of carbon dioxide (hyperventilation).
  • Metabolic alkalosis: Caused by a loss of acid or an increase in bicarbonate in the body fluids.

Variants and Related Words

• Alkalotic (adj): Relating to or affected by alkalosis.
  • The patient was in an alkalotic state.
• Alkalemia (n): Specifically denotes alkalosis of the blood. Often used interchangeably with alkalosis in a clinical context.

Synonyms

• Base excess (in a clinical measurement context): A positive base excess value is indicative of metabolic alkalosis.
• Alkaline state: A more general, non-technical term for a condition of high alkalinity.

Antonyms

• Acidosis: A pathological condition of abnormally high acidity (low pH) in the blood and body tissues.

Noun

1. abnormally high alkalinity (low hydrogen-ion concentration) of the blood and other body tissues