Clinical Review : Renal Tubular Acidosis: Practical Guides to Diagnosis and Treatment

The syndrome of renal tubular acidosis in some one of its various forms should be suspected when an infant or child has failure to thrive, metabolic acidosis, constipation, diarrhea, vomiting, anorexia, polyuria, or dehydra tion in infancy. Confirmatory biochemical findings include an inappropriately high urinary pH, inadequate acid excretion and/or abnormal tubular reab sorption of filtered bicarbonate. Growth can be normal when there is sustained correction of the metabolic acidosis through appropriate alkaline therapy.