ABSTRACT
The gastrointestinal tract plays an integral, though not obvious role in acid balance. Under normal circumstances, greater than 1000mEq of Hþ and HCO3
are absorbed and secreted along the intestinal tract daily, associated with several hundred mmoles of dietary inorganic salts of organic cations and anions. Intestinal bacteria produce several hundred mmoles of organic acids that also may be absorbed or excreted in the stool (1-3). A complex relationship exists among these acid-base fluxes and the flux of other ions, involving many intestinal segmental and cellular control mechanisms (4). The size and nature of these fluxes and linkages are particularly relevant to acid balance following oral intake or in the presence of gastrointestinal disease.
