The key difference between acute and chronic respiratory acidosis is that acute respiratory acidosis is a form of respiratory acidosis that develops after a sudden spike in carbon dioxide levels, while chronic respiratory acidosis is a form of respiratory acidosis that develops over time due to elevated carbon dioxide levels for a long duration.
Typically, the lungs intake oxygen and exhale carbon dioxide. In this process, oxygen moves from the lungs into the bloodstream, while carbon dioxide travels in the opposite direction to be expelled as a waste product. However, there are instances when the lungs struggle to eliminate the necessary amount of carbon dioxide. This issue leads to respiratory acidosis. Respiratory acidosis occurs when the pH of the blood falls below 7.35 due to carbon dioxide accumulation. There are different forms of respiratory acidosis. Acute and chronic respiratory acidosis are two of them.
CONTENTS
1. Overview and Key Difference
2. What is Acute Respiratory Acidosis
3. What is Chronic Respiratory Acidosis
4. Similarities – Acute and Chronic Respiratory Acidosis
5. Acute vs. Chronic Respiratory Acidosis in Tabular Form
6. FAQ – Acute and Chronic Respiratory Acidosis
7. Summary – Acute vs. Chronic Respiratory Acidosis
What is Acute Respiratory Acidosis?
Acute respiratory acidosis occurs when carbon dioxide builds up very rapidly in the lungs before the kidneys can return the body to a state of balance. Acute respiratory acidosis can be caused by asthma, COPD, overuse of substances that affect the central nervous system, such as alcohol, amphetamine, and opioids, emphysema, pneumonia, and sleep apnea. The initial symptoms of acute respiratory acidosis are breathlessness, headache, wheezing, anxiety, blurred vision, restlessness, and a blue tint in the hands and feet, while the late symptoms of this condition are sleepiness or fatigue, lethargy, delirium, involuntary muscle movements and twitching, possible seizures, personality changes, and coma.
Acute respiratory acidosis can be diagnosed through blood gas measurement, electrolyte testing, lung function test, chest X-ray, drug testing, a complete blood count (CBC), and urinalysis. Furthermore, treatment options for acute respiratory acidosis may include managing the underlying condition and providing interventions that clear the airway, such as bronchodilator medications and artificial ventilation through a machine like BiPAP.
What is Chronic Respiratory Acidosis?
Chronic respiratory acidosis occurs when carbon dioxide accumulates gradually in the lungs. Chronic acidosis can be caused by acute pulmonary edema, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), obesity, pulmonary fibrosis, and scoliosis. Moreover, the symptoms of chronic or long-lasting respiratory acidosis are fatigue during the daytime, heart failure, high blood pressure, high red blood cell levels, loss of coordination, and memory loss.
Chronic respiratory acidosis can be diagnosed through arterial blood gas test (ABG), basic metabolic panel (BMP), chest X-ray, CO2 blood test, CT scan, electrolyte panel, and pulmonary function test. Furthermore, treatment options for chronic respiratory acidosis may include managing any underlying conditions, antibiotics for infection, bronchodilators, corticosteroids, and mechanical ventilation.
What are the Similarities Between Acute and Chronic Respiratory Acidosis?
- Acute and chronic respiratory acidosis are two different forms of respiratory acidosis.
- Both are due to elevated carbon dioxide levels in the lungs.
- Underlying conditions trigger them.
- Both forms can be diagnosed through blood tests.
- They can be treated by managing underlying conditions, bronchodilators, and mechanical ventilation.
What is the Difference Between Acute and Chronic Respiratory Acidosis?
Acute respiratory acidosis is a form of respiratory acidosis that develops after a sudden spike in CO2 level, while chronic respiratory acidosis is a form of respiratory acidosis that develops over time due to elevated CO2 levels for a long duration. Thus, this is the key difference between acute and chronic respiratory acidosis. Furthermore, acute respiratory acidosis can be caused by asthma, COPD, overuse of substances that affect the central nervous system, such as alcohol, amphetamine, and opioids, emphysema, pneumonia, and sleep apnea. On the other hand, chronic respiratory acidosis can be caused by acute pulmonary edema, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), obesity, pulmonary fibrosis, and scoliosis.
The infographic below presents the differences between acute and chronic respiratory acidosis in tabular form for side-by-side comparison.
FAQ: Acute and Chronic Respiratory Acidosis
How do you know if acidosis is acute or chronic?
Chronic acidosis is asymptomatic, while acute acidosis is symptomatic, and the symptoms are mainly headache, confusion, and drowsiness.
What are examples of chronic respiratory diseases?
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), asthma, occupational lung diseases, and pulmonary hypertension are some chronic respiratory diseases.
How do you diagnose chronic respiratory disease?
Lung (pulmonary) function tests, Chest X-ray, CT scan, Arterial blood gas analysis, etc.
Summary – Acute vs. Chronic Respiratory Acidosis
Acidosis occurs when acids build up, or bicarbonate is lost in the body. Acidosis is mainly of two types – respiratory acidosis and metabolic acidosis. Respiratory acidosis develops when there is too much carbon dioxide in the body, while metabolic acidosis develops when the kidneys cannot remove enough acid from the body. Acute and chronic respiratory acidosis are two different forms of respiratory acidosis. Acute respiratory acidosis occurs when carbon dioxide builds up very rapidly in the lungs, whereas chronic respiratory acidosis occurs when carbon dioxide accumulates gradually in the lungs. So, this summarizes the difference between acute and chronic respiratory acidosis.
Reference:
1. “Respiratory Acidosis: Causes, Risks, Consequences and More.” WebMD.
2. “Respiratory Acidosis.” An Overview | ScienceDirect Topics.
Image Courtesy:
1. “Davenport diagram” By K90 – Own work (CC BY-SA 3.0) via Commons Wikimedia
2. “2716 Symptoms of Acidosis Alkalosis” By OpenStax College – Anatomy & Physiology, Connexions Web site, Jun 19, 2013. (CC BY 3.0) via Commons Wikimedia