What does it mean when you have a proton deficiency in your blood?

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Request for Question Clarification by pinkfreud-ga on 01 Sep 2003 18:23 PDT

Is it possible that you are referring to a "protein deficiency" or to
a "prothrombin deficiency"? A proton is a subatomic particle, and this
term is not typically used in medical terminology.

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Request for Question Clarification by pinkfreud-ga on 01 Sep 2003 19:02 PDT

Another possibility to consider is "protease deficiency".

If you heard the phrase as part of a diagnosis or description of a
medical condition, it would be very useful if you could give any
additional details that you may remember. This will help us to zero in
on the exact term that you need to have defined.

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Request for Question Clarification by synarchy-ga on 04 Sep 2003 19:27 PDT

Hi

Other terms to consider would be a "protein C" or "protein S"
deficiency.

It is possible to have a "proton" deficiency in the blood, but, it is
not usually described as such - "proton" is also sometimes used to
describe the H+ hydrogen ion - in an acidic environment there are more
H+ molecules (or protons) floating around.  A deficiency of this sort
is usually referred to as alkalemia (or alkalotic serum/blood) or a
base excess (since bases consume acids, thereby driving down the
number of protons available).

Let us know if any of the above suggestions further delineate the area
for your question.

synarchy

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Request for Question Clarification by vitalmed-ga on 08 Sep 2003 20:12 PDT

Hello socialworker-ga,

Do any of our comments that are posted begin to answer your question as you wished?

Best regards,

vitalmed-ga

I believe that synarchy-ga is on the right track. A proton deficiency
is a hydrogen ion deficiency and is a characteristic of metabolic
alkalosis. This is a physiologic state that results from either a gain
of base or a loss of acid, which can occur from vomiting and various
other clinical causes. It can generally be managed and is best treated
once the source is identified.

Regards,

vitalmed-ga