Guide To Lactic Acidosis Symptoms

Headache

A headache can be a symptom in an individual affected by lactic acidosis. Lactic acid is a byproduct of a process that makes energy for the cell that is typically only activated when tissues are in a state of oxygen deprivation. Mitochondria are the organelle inside of a cell responsible for metabolizing glucose into usable cellular energy. Oxygen deprivation causes an impairment in the transport chain the mitochondria use in this process. This type of impairment occurs most often in the cells that make up the brain tissues and muscular tissues around the body since they have a higher demand for oxygen than other tissues. When some mechanism causes oxygen deprivation in the brain like excessive exercise or an underlying medical condition, the cells have to produce energy without it. The process the cells use to accomplish this causes an increased level of lactic acid as a byproduct. The lactic acid can accumulate in the affected individual's blood as a result. The higher acidity of the blood causes the blood vessels around the brain to constrict, reducing blood flow and oxygen delivery further. Vessel constriction and oxygen deprivation cause the affected individual to feel a headache.