What condition is induced when hyperventilation (e.g. during acute anxiety or high altitude) causes excessive exhalation of CO2?
Answer and explanation
Correct answer: B. Respiratory alkalosis
- Step 1: Rapid deep breathing (hyperventilation) blows off arterial CO2, lowering PCO2 (<35 mmHg). Step 2. Low PCO2 pulls carbonic acid dissociation backward, reducing [H+] and raising arterial pH above 7.45 (respiratory alkalosis). Answer: Respiratory alkalosis. Why not the others: Respiratory acidosis is caused by CO2 retention; Metabolic acidosis lowers pH via bicarbonate depletion; Lactic acidosis is a form of metabolic acidosis.
Practise more Solutions, Chemical Equilibrium and Environmental Toxicology.
Free questions with an explanation for every one, and full timed Medical College Admission Test (Bangladesh) mock tests.
More Solutions, Chemical Equilibrium and Environmental Toxicology questions
- What is the physiological osmolarity of human blood plasma (Hard) and isotonic saline solution?
- What concentration of aqueous Sodium Chloride (NaCl) solution represents isotonic normal saline for intravenous infusion?
- What happens to human red blood cells when placed in a severely hypotonic solution (such as distilled water)?
- What happens to red blood cells placed in a hypertonic solution (such as 5% NaCl)?
- What is the normal physiological pH range of arterial human blood in a healthy person?
- What is the primary extracellular chemical buffer system that maintains human arterial blood pH?