Guide To Lactic Acidosis Symptoms

Weakness And Confusion

Weakness and confusion are a common pair of symptoms sometimes associated with lactic acidosis and can be tied to tachycardia and tachypnea. Both tachycardia and tachypnea can further exacerbate the effects of weakness and confusion. Weakness is defined by a lack of muscle strength. Fatigue can also be felt in the muscles and can make performing simple activities like walking or taking care of oneself difficult or even painful. Confusion and dizziness can also occur leaving a patient with lactic acidosis feeling unclear or uncertain about what is going on. Other complications of confusion can include a lack of focus and the inability to make decisions. Panic may also set in if a patient is disturbed by their confusion.

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Abdominal Discomfort And Muscle Cramps

Individuals affected by lactic acidosis may present with abdominal discomfort and muscle cramps. Many symptoms of lactic acidosis are based on the underlying cause of the condition. An individual's acid-base homeostasis is strongly influenced by disturbances in their normal gastrointestinal function. Numerous factors can contribute to this mechanism, including surgical complications, acquired diseases, infection, and hereditary diseases. Abdominal discomfort is common in individuals who have a short small intestine or have undergone jejunoileal bypass surgery. Glucose within the food the affected individual has consumed is not digested when passing through the stomach and small intestine. This malfunction provides a rich source of food for the bacteria that populate an individual's colon. The gut bacteria produce lactic acid when they consume the undigested glucose, resulting in a build-up of this lactic acid in the colon. This process irritates the large intestine and its neighboring muscular tissues. This irritation can manifest in the form of abdominal discomfort and muscle cramps in the affected individual.

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