The patient had slightly higher levels of sodium at 147 mmol/L in her blood, which was different from the normal range for sodium levels of 135-145 millimoles per liter (mmol/L). This abnormality indicated that the patient suffered from hypernatremia, a condition described as a serum sodium level beyond 146 mmol/L. For people aged 40 years and above, the average calcium level is usually at the range of 9 or below ten while the patient’s calcium level recorded 110. Constant calcium levels over 10.0 mg/dl in an adult aged 40 and above almost always signified parathyroid disease ( Spicer, Widdicombe, Needham, & Berge, 2011). Furthermore, the partial pressure of carbon dioxide of 48 mmHg in the patient’s blood was higher than the normal range of 38-42 mmHg. Blood gas carbon dioxide level over 45 mmHg always resulted in a condition known as hypercapnia (Henry et al., 2012).
Adults typically have a urine specific gravity in the range of 1.010 to 1.030, which is slightly lower than the patient’s laboratory result of 1.040. This abnormality could invariably lead to dehydration which may have instigated the drying of the skin ( Catarino, Bauwens, & Dubois, 2012). The primary electrolyte disturbance the patient had was the serum calcium level which was extremely beyond the normal range. Repeated calcium levels over 10.0 mg/dl in older adults and almost always signified parathyroid disease whose symptoms included depression or amnesia. Increase in the patient’s potassium level would lead to more breathing difficulties and even nausea and vomiting. The partial pressure of carbon dioxide (pCO2) of 48 mmHg in the patient’s blood was higher than the normal range of 38-42 mmHg. The three major mechanisms of pH regulation include the chemical buffer, the urinary system and finally the respiratory system ( Esbaugh, Heuer, & Grosell, 2012).
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References
Catarino, A. I., Bauwens, M., & Dubois, P. (2012). Acid–base balance and metabolic reaction of the marine urchin Paracentrotus lividus to different seawater pH and temperatures. Environmental Science and Pollution Research , 19 (6), 2344-2353.
Esbaugh, A. J., Heuer, R., & Grosell, M. (2012). Influences of marine acidification on breathing air interchange and acid–base equilibrium in a marine teleost, Opsanus beta. Journal of Relative Physiology B , 182 (7), 921-934.
Henry, Raymond P., et al. (2012). "Numerous commitments of the shellfish gill: osmotic/ionic adaptation, acid-base balance, ammonia secretion, and bioaccumulation of poisonous metals." Borders in physiology 3: 431.
Spicer, J. I., Widdicombe, S., Needham, H. R., & Berge, J. A. (2011). Impact of CO2-acidified seawater on the extracellular acid–base balance of the northern marine urchin Strongylocentrotus dröebachiensis. Periodical of Tentative Aquatic Biology and Ecology , 407 (1), 19-25.
