Results Out of 41,749 patients (with CKD), 13.9% (n = 5796) had low and 1.6% (n = 652) had high serum bicarbonate levels.
“Patients with CKD experience a multitude of abnormalities and disabilities, among which metabolic acidosis was one of the earliest complications to be recognized and explained pathologically.1–4 In typical CKD, there is a direct correlation between the decline in GFR and the reduction in serum bicarbonate thought to be due primarily to the inability of the kidney to synthesize ammonia, regenerate bicarbonate, and excrete hydrogen ions.5”
“However, the optimal range for serum bicarbonate in patients with CKD is yet to be established, because metabolic alkalosis also portends poor outcomes.20”
http://m.jasn.asnjournals.org/content/26/3/515.full
Compromised kidneys give their “lives” to keep blood Ph normal. Part of the problem is the stress that induces, which progresses the disease.