An illness causes Doug to experience severe diarrhea and an accompanying loss of bicarbonate-rich secretions.How can this metabolic acidosis be compensated?
A) increased respiratory rate and depth
B) increased renin secretion
C) hypoventilation
D) enhanced sodium ion loss in urine

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Increased respiratory rate and depth can compensate for metabolic acidosis by expelling more carbon dioxide, which helps to decrease the acidity of the blood. This is known as respiratory compensation.

Option B is incorrect because increased renin secretion would activate the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system, which would retain sodium ions and increase blood volume, leading to an increase in blood pressure.

Option C is incorrect since hypoventilation would lead to an increase in carbon dioxide retention, which would further exacerbate metabolic acidosis.

Option D is incorrect since enhanced sodium loss in urine would decrease blood volume, leading to a decrease in blood pressure, which would not help to compensate for metabolic acidosis.

An Illness Causes Doug to Experience Severe Diarrhea and an Accompanying