Categories: Drugs/Metabolism

Why Does Aspirin Overdose cause Respiratory Alkalosis

Adults: Metabolic acidosis AND Respiratory alkalosis 

Children: Metabolic acidosis ONLY. (If fasting a starvation ketosis may develop)

Respiratory Alkalosis: First phase; Direct stimulation of medullary respiratory centers by ASA. Does not happen in children [1]

Metabolic Acidosis:  Second phase; ASA toxicity causes anion gap metabolic acidosis. THIS IS NOT DUE TO ASA directly as an acid. [1]

  • Why? salicylate interrupts & uncouples oxidative phosphorylation in aerobic respiration & kerbs cycle. This results in the production of lactate. 

References

  1. O’Malley, Gerald F. Emergency Department Management of the Salicylate-Poisoned Patient. Emerg Med Clin N Am (2007) 25: 333-346
Get Medical Pearls directly to your inbox every week!
Weekly posts with high yield medical knowledge, directly to your mailbox!
Dr. C Humphreys

Internal Medicine

Recent Posts

Mechanism of a Mixed Apnea

Mixed apneas are characterized by absent respiratory effort and airflow in the first section of…

12 months ago

How Does Hypothyroidism Cause Hypoventilation?

Although rare, the differential diagnosis of hypoventilation and hypercapnia respiratory failure includes hypothyroidism. It is…

12 months ago

Why is Pro-BNP/ BNP lower in Obesity?

B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) is a hormone created in response to cardiac wall stretch due…

1 year ago

What is Peribronchovascular Distribution on CT imaging?

A common finding described on computed tomography (CT) imaging. A disease with a peribronchovascular distribution…

2 years ago

Trapped Lung vs. Lung Entrapment

Though often used synonymously; Trapped Lung and Lung Entrapment technically describe separate entities along the…

3 years ago

Cause of Pericardial Effusion in Pulmonary Hypertension: Pathogenesis

It is not clearly understood why patients with pulmonary hypertension (PH) develop pericardial effusions. However,…

3 years ago

This website uses cookies.