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Diseases & Conditions
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Respiratory acidosis is a condition that occurs when the lungs cannot remove all of the carbon dioxide the body produces. This disrupts the body's acid-base balance and the body fluids become too acidic.
Symptoms may include:
- confusion
- fatigue
- lethargy
- shortness of breath
- sleepiness
Causes may include:
- diseases of the airways (such as asthma or chronic obstructive lung disease)
- diseases of the chest that make the lungs function less efficiently
- disease of the nerves and muscles that signal the lungs to inflate or deflate
- drugs including narcotics, especially when combined with alcohol
- obesity
Treatment may include:
- bronchodilator drugs
- quitting smoking
- noninvasive positive-pressure ventilation or mechanical ventilation
- oxygen therapy
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