Why does kidney failure lead to metabolic acidosis?
Disease description:
I've been feeling chest tightness and shortness of breath for the past couple of days, so I went to the hospital for a checkup. The doctor said it was metabolic acidosis caused by kidney failure. Why does kidney failure lead to metabolic acidosis?
Doctor's answer (1)
Dr. Zhou Chao
Metabolic acidosis is a very common complication in patients with chronic renal failure. These patients develop metabolic acidosis because, when the glomerular filtration rate declines to a certain critical level, although each remaining nephron unit secretes more ammonia, the total ammonia excretion decreases, leading to reduced hydrogen ion secretion and resulting in acidosis.
