Net acid excretion

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In renal physiology, net acid excretion (NEA) is the net amount of acid excreted in the urine per unit time. Its value depends on urine flow rate, urine acid concentration, and the concentration of bicarbonate in the urine (the loss of bicarbonate, a buffering agent, is physiologically equivalent to a gain in acid). NEA is commonly expressed in units of milliliters per minute (ml/min) and is given by the following equasion:

$NEA = V ( U_{NH_4} + U_{TA} - U_{HCO_3} )$

where

Variable	Meaning
NEA	net acid excretion
V	volume of urine produced per unit time
U_NH4	urine concentration of ammonium
U_TA	urine concentration of titratable acid (e.g., phosphoric acid, sulfuric acid)
U_HCO3	urine concentration of bicarbonate

[edit] Pathology

Increased net acid excretion is a compensation for respiratory acidosis, while decreased net acid excretion is a compenstation for respiratory alkalosis.^[1]