Acidosis is caused by an accumulation of acid or a significant loss of bicarbonate.
The major categories of acidosis are respiratory acidosis and metabolic acidosis . Respiratory acidosis develops when there are excessive amounts of carbon dioxide in the body, primarily caused by decreased breathing. Other names for this include hypercapnic acidosis and carbon dioxide acidosis. There are several types of metabolic acidosis. Hyperchloremic acidosis results from excessive levels of chloride in the blood.