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Updated: Aug 1, 2026

Fast and Accurate Exhaled Breath Ammonia Measurement
Published on: June 11, 2014
The acidification response of normal subjects to ammonium chloride using a 3-day loading test
I D Fry1, P E Cusick, W C Alston
1Department of Chemical Pathology, Frimley Park Hospital, Camberley, Surrey, UK.
Abstract:
The acidification response to NH4 Cl loading (0.1 g/kg bw/day) was tested in 16 normal healthy subjects in the basal fasting state on Day 4, the subjects having taken the salt daily for the 3 previous days. The response was measured in terms of blood pH and in urine, creatinine, phosphate, pH, titratable acidity, ammonium, net acidity and creatinine clearance. To minimise inter-subject variation the urine values were adjusted to a standard body surface area of 1.73 m2. A normal range for the blood pH of the mean value +/- 2 SD, encompassed the observed range of values. However, to fit the observed range of acid-base values in urine into the 2 SD range required a logarithmic transformation of the data. Statistical analysis confirmed a significant correlation between blood [H+] net acid secretion, urine titratable acidity and ammonium. Urine net acid secretion was positively correlated with urinary phosphate, titratable acidity and ammonium.
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