Lactic acidemia

Lactic acidosis
L-(+)-lactic acid
Classification and external resources
Specialty	endocrinology
ICD-10	E87.2
ICD-9-CM	276.2
DiseasesDB	29145
MedlinePlus	000391
eMedicine	article/768159
MeSH	D000140
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Lactic acidosis is a medical condition characterized by the buildup of lactate (especially L-lactate) in the body, which results in an excessively low pH. It is a subtype of metabolic acidosis, where excessive acid is due to a problem with the body's metabolism.

Lactic acidosis is typically the result of an underlying acute or chronic medical condition, medication, or poisoning. The symptoms are generally attributable to these underlying causes, but may include nausea, vomiting, rapid deep breathing, and generalised weakness.

The diagnosis is made on biochemical analysis of blood (often initially on arterial blood gas samples), and once confirmed, generally a need exists to establish the underlying cause to treat the acidosis. In some situations, hemofiltration (purification of the blood) is temporarily required. In rare chronic forms of lactic acidosis caused by , a specific diet or dichloroacetate may be used. The prognosis of lactic acidosis depends largely on the underlying cause; in some situations (such as severe infections), it indicates an increased risk of death.

Lactic acidosis is commonly found in people who are unwell, such as those facing severe heart and/or lung disease, a severe infection with sepsis, the systemic inflammatory response syndrome due to another cause, severe physical trauma, or severe depletion of body fluids. Symptoms in humans include all those of typical metabolic acidosis (nausea, vomiting, generalized muscle weakness, and rapid breathing).

Acid-base disturbances such as lactic acidosis are typically first assessed using arterial blood gas tests. Testing of venous blood is also available as an alternative. Normal results are as follows:

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