ABSTRACT
This chapter reviews the normal values for acid-base parameters in humans. As will be discussed, the pH of the body fluids is maintained at a relatively alkaline level, with vanishingly low levels of free Hþ, controlled by the interplay between the CO2 tension and the bicarbonate concentration (see Chapters 6 and 8). Despite the tight control of pH, significant interindividual variations exist among normal humans, and some of the causes for such variability are discussed in this chapter. First we address the terminology for defining the amount of free Hþ in the body fluids.
