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This article waslast modified on 10 July 2017.
Disturbance in the normal acid-base balance of the body in which the blood and body tissues are more acidic than normal. It may result from respiratory causes that lead to retention of carbon dioxide, as in breathing disorders; from metabolic causes such as prolonged or severe diarrhoea, from impaired kidney function, as a complication of diabetes or as a result of several common poisonings (aspirin, antifreeze, methylated spirits).