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Lactic acidosis is a condition caused by the buildup of lactic acid
Lactic acid

Lactic acid , also known as milk acid, is a chemical compound that plays a role in several biochemistry processes. It was first isolated in 1780 by a Swedish chemist, Carl Wilhelm Scheele, and is a carboxylic acid with a chemical formula of C3H6O3....
 in the body. It leads to acidification of the blood (acidosis
Acidosis

Acidosis is an increased acidity . If not further qualified, it usually refers to acidity of the blood plasma.Acidosis is said to occur when arterial pH falls below 7.35, while its counterpart occurs at a pH over 7.45....
), and is considered a distinct form of metabolic acidosis
Metabolic acidosis

In medicine, metabolic acidosis is a process which if unchecked leads to acidemia, i.e. blood pH is low due to increased production of hydrogen by the body or the inability of the body to form bicarbonate in the kidney....
.

Cells normally produce lactic acid as a part of the Krebbs cycle, when they have to use glucose
Glucose

Glucose , a monosaccharide also known as grape sugar, blood sugar, or corn sugar, is a very important carbohydrate in biology....
 for energy in the absence of adequate oxygen
Oxygen

Oxygen no O2 produced; 2) O2 produced, but absorbed in oceans & seabed rock; 3) O2 starts to gas out of the oceans, but is absorbed by land surfaces and formation of ozone layer; 4-5) O2 sinks filled and the gas accumulates]]...
. After that, they rely on subsequent oxidation in the mitochondria to oxidise the lactic acid into water and carbon dioxide.






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Lactic acidosis is a condition caused by the buildup of lactic acid
Lactic acid

Lactic acid , also known as milk acid, is a chemical compound that plays a role in several biochemistry processes. It was first isolated in 1780 by a Swedish chemist, Carl Wilhelm Scheele, and is a carboxylic acid with a chemical formula of C3H6O3....
 in the body. It leads to acidification of the blood (acidosis
Acidosis

Acidosis is an increased acidity . If not further qualified, it usually refers to acidity of the blood plasma.Acidosis is said to occur when arterial pH falls below 7.35, while its counterpart occurs at a pH over 7.45....
), and is considered a distinct form of metabolic acidosis
Metabolic acidosis

In medicine, metabolic acidosis is a process which if unchecked leads to acidemia, i.e. blood pH is low due to increased production of hydrogen by the body or the inability of the body to form bicarbonate in the kidney....
.

Cells normally produce lactic acid as a part of the Krebbs cycle, when they have to use glucose
Glucose

Glucose , a monosaccharide also known as grape sugar, blood sugar, or corn sugar, is a very important carbohydrate in biology....
 for energy in the absence of adequate oxygen
Oxygen

Oxygen no O2 produced; 2) O2 produced, but absorbed in oceans & seabed rock; 3) O2 starts to gas out of the oceans, but is absorbed by land surfaces and formation of ozone layer; 4-5) O2 sinks filled and the gas accumulates]]...
. After that, they rely on subsequent oxidation in the mitochondria to oxidise the lactic acid into water and carbon dioxide. If the subsequent oxidation reaction cannot take place, too much lactic acid stays in the body, the balance tips, and the person begins to feel ill.

The signs of lactic acidosis are deep and rapid breathing, vomiting, and abdominal pain. Lactic acidosis may be caused by diabetic ketoacidosis
Diabetic ketoacidosis

Diabetic ketoacidosis is a life-threatening complication in patients with diabetes mellitus. Near complete deficiency of insulin and elevated levels of certain stress hormones increase the chance of a DKA episode....
 or liver
Liver

The liver is a vital organ present in vertebrates and some other animals; it has a wide range of functions, a few of which are detoxification, protein synthesis, and production of biochemicals necessary for digestion....
 or kidney
Kidney

The kidneys are Organ that have numerous biological roles. Their primary role is to maintain the homeostasis balance of bodily fluids by filtering and secreting Metabolomics#Metabolitess and minerals from the blood and excreting them, along with water , as urine....
 disease, as well as some forms of medication (most notably the anti-diabetic drug phenformin
Phenformin

Phenformin is an anti-diabetic drug from the biguanide class. It is no longer widely available because it is known to induce lactic acidosis....
). Some anti-HIV drugs (antiretrovirals) warn doctors in their prescribing information to regularly watch for symptoms of lactic acidosis caused by mitochondrial toxicity
Mitochondrial toxicity

Mitochondrial toxicity is a condition in which the mitochondrion of a body's cells become damaged or decline significantly in number; it occurs as a side-effect of certain antiretroviral drugs used to treat human immunodeficiency virus, or HIV....
.

Classification

The Cohen-Woods classification categorises causes of lactic acidosis as follows:
  • Type A: Decreased perfusion or oxygenation
  • Type B:
    • B1: Underlying diseases (sometimes causing type A)
    • B2: Medication or intoxication
    • B3: Inborn error of metabolism
      Inborn error of metabolism

      Inborn errors of metabolism comprise a large class of genetics diseases involving disorders of metabolism. The majority are due to defects of single genes that code for enzymes that facilitate conversion of various substances into others ....


Associated conditions

Lactic acidosis is an underlying process of rigor mortis
Rigor mortis

Rigor mortis is one of the recognizable signs of death that is caused by a chemical change in the muscles after death, causing the limbs of the Dead body to become stiff and difficult to move or manipulate....
. Tissue in the muscles of the deceased resort to anaerobic metabolism in the absence of oxygen and significant amounts of lactic acid are released into the muscle tissue. This along with the loss of ATP
Adenosine triphosphate

This article is about the chemical used by cells as an energy carrier. For other uses, see ATP .Adenosine-5'-triphosphate is a multifunctional nucleotide, and plays an important role in cell biology as a coenzyme that is the "molecule unit of currency" of intracellular energy transfer....
 causes the muscles to grow stiff.

Lactic acidosis may also result from Vitamin B1 (thiamine) deficiency.

In Animals


Reptiles, which rely primarily on anaerobic power for intense movements, can be particularly susceptible to lactic acidosis. In particular, during the capture of large crocodiles, the animals frequently build up enough blood lactate to significantly alter the blood's pH, often rendering them unable to respond to stimuli or move. there are recorded cases in which particularly large crocodiles who put up extreme resistance to capture later died of the resulting pH imbalance.

See also

  • Metabolic acidosis
    Metabolic acidosis

    In medicine, metabolic acidosis is a process which if unchecked leads to acidemia, i.e. blood pH is low due to increased production of hydrogen by the body or the inability of the body to form bicarbonate in the kidney....