What primary mechanism causes respiratory acidosis regarding CO2 and carbonic acid formation?
Answer
Lungs fail to remove CO2, trapping it to form carbonic acid
Respiratory acidosis is fundamentally linked to pulmonary dysfunction where the lungs cannot adequately eliminate carbon dioxide (CO2) from the body, a state often caused by hypoventilation due to conditions like COPD or drug suppression. Since CO2 readily combines with water present in the blood to form carbonic acid (H2CO3), trapping this CO2 directly increases the concentration of acid in the bloodstream. This elevation in carbonic acid causes the blood pH to fall below the critical threshold of 7.35, thus creating the respiratory form of acidosis.
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