A 26-year-old man with a history of solvent abuse presents to the Emergency Department
Parameter | Patient value | Normal range |
FiO2 | 0.4 | |
pH | 6.94* | 7.35 – 7.45 |
PO2 | 140 mmHg | |
PCO2 | 17* mmHg | 35 – 45 (4.6 – 6.0) |
HCO3 | 4* mmol/L | 22 – 27 |
Base excess | -28* | -2.0 – +2.0 |
Sodium | 127* mmol/L | 135 – 145 |
Chloride | 113* mmol/L | 95 – 105 |
Urinary pH | 7.2 | 4.6 – 8.0 |
a) Describe this acid-base picture
b)What is the likely cause of the acid-base disturbance?
a) Normal anion gap severe metabolic acidosis with incomplete compensation
b)Renal tubular acidosis Type 1 distal secondary to chronic toluene abuse
How did they reach these conclusions?
Let us approach this systematically.
There is not enough information to calculate the osmolar gap.
This is a normal anion gap severe metabolic acidosis with incomplete compensation.
The solvent abuse mentioned in the question points to toluene.
Toluene toxicity alone would have caused a high anion gap metabolic acidosis (due to accumulation of hippuric acid). However, the hippurate anion is rapidly excreted via the kidneys, whereas the hydrogen ions remains. The RTA due to toluene is a type 1, which is a hyperchloremic hypokalemic acidosis due to a failure to acidify the urine in the distal tubule. Another characteristic feature is the extremely alkaline urinary pH which contrasts with the extremely acidic blood pH; such a situation tends to only occur in the case of a Type 1 (distal) RTA, whereas with the other RTAs the urinary acidification is at least somewhat preserved.
For a scenic overview of renal tubular acidosis, I turn to UpToDate.
An even better (free) resource is a beautiful article by Juan Rodríguez Sorianoentitled "Renal Tubular Acidosis: The Clinical Entity" which is available online.
Batlle DC, Sabatini S, Kurtzman NA. On the mechanism of toluene-induced renal tubular acidosis. Nephron. 1988;49(3):210-8.
Unwin RJ, Capasso G,The renal tubular acidoses J R Soc Med. 2001 May; 94(5): 221–225.
Chan JCM, Scheinman JI, Roth KS. Renal Tubular Acidosis Pediatrics in Review Vol.22 No.8 August 2001 2