Question

1. What is the relationship between potassium and hydrogen ion? Why does acidosis lead to hyperkalemia? What can alkalosis cause?

2. How do we regulate sodium retention and sodium dumping? What triggers each? Which organs are involved?

3. What are some triggers that would cause an increase in secretion of ADH?

Answer 1

1). The potassium and hydrogen ions move from the intracellular environment to the extracellular environment and vice versa in an exchange with one another. So, during acidosis (increased hydrogen ion concentration), the potassium ions move out to the extracellular environment in an exchange with the hydrogen ions as a compensatory mechanism, which results in “hyperkalemia.”

In contrast, during alkalosis, the extracellular hydrogen ions decrease, so the potassium ions move inside the cell and the hydrogen ions move out of the cell, which is likely to cause “hypokalemia.”