Understanding Renal Tubular Acedosis (RTA): Causes, Symptoms, and Management

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Renal Tubular Acedosis (RTA)

by Alike Medical Team ∙ Updated on June 13, 2023

Additional names

This group contains additional names: - Albright's renal tubular acidosis - Familial proximal renal tubular acidosis - Hypercalcemic nephropathy - Hypokalemic nephropathy - Increased renal clearance - Increased renal function - Lipomatosis renis - Lithium nephropathy - Nephrogenic systemic fibrosis - Renal tubular disorder - Tertiary hyperparathyroidism - Transient neonatal renal tubular acidosis - Uremic acidosis - Uremic encephalopathy

General

Renal tubular acidosis (RTA) occurs when the kidneys do not remove acids from the blood into the urine as they should. The acid level in the blood then becomes too high, a condition called acidosis. Some acid in the blood is normal, but too much acid can disturb many bodily functions.

13 people with Renal Tubular Acedosis (RTA)

Learn from others who are experiencing Renal Tubular Acedosis (RTA).

Signs & symptoms

A lot of the time, there are no symptoms, and people may not know they have the disease until it shows up on a blood or urine test.. For some people, the first symptom of RTA is kidney stones, which can cause symptoms like: - pain in the back or side that spreads to the lower abdomen - pain- while urinating - pee that is red, brown, or cloudy - frequent urge to urinate - nausea and vomiting Other symptoms of RTA you might notice include: - confusion, decreased alertness, or fatigue - increased breathing and heart rates - decreased urination - muscle weakness - muscle cramps and pain in the back and abdomen - rickets (a disorder that can cause bone pain and skeletal and dental deformities)

Diagnosis

Diagnosis of Renal Tubular Acidosis includes: - Blood tests - Urine tests A doctor considers the diagnosis of tubular acidosis when a person has certain characteristic symptoms (such as muscle weakness and diminished reflexes) and when tests reveal high levels of acid and low levels of bicarbonate and potassium in the blood. Tests on urine samples and other tests help to determine the type of renal tubular acidosis.

Treatment

How Renal Tubular Acidosis is treated depends on what's causing it. If it's a reaction to a certain drug, treatment may involve stopping use of the drug or changing the dosage. If an underlying disease or other condition is causing RTA, it will be treated until that condition resolves. To treat the effects of RTA, it's necessary to restore a normal acid level to the blood. To do this, doctors prescribe alkaline medicines, such as sodium bicarbonate, that help to lower the blood's concentration of acid. Most of the time, treatment for RTA is effective

Note

☝ We provide information on prescription and over-the-counter medicines, diagnosis, procedures and lab tests. This material is provided for educational purposes only and is not medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.

National Institutes of Health ∙ World Health Organization ∙ MedlinePluse ∙ Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

☝ All information has been reviewed by certified physicians from Alike

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