Hello all, my question is:

Diarrhea is characterized by dehydration, electrolyte imbalance, and acid-base imbalance. Discuss why hypokalemia, hyperchloremia, and metabolic acidosis occur.

So far I understand that increased motility decreases absorption time in the intestine, which results in high concentration of unabsorbed solutes in the intestine. Water follows the high concentration of solutes to maintain the osmotic gradient. Electrolytes in the intestinal lumen are lost.

I also get that there is a significant amount of bicarbonate in the intestinal lumen to neutralize the acidic contents coming from the stomach. During diarrhea the bicarbonate is lost with the fecal material resulting in acidosis.

What I don’t understand is how hyperchloremia/hypokalemia occurs other than the unabsorbed losses. Any help would be great.

Thanks.

J