Obesity-Hypoventilation Syndrome(Archived)

Excerpt

In the early nineteenth century, Charles Dickens reported in his book “The Posthumous Papers of the Pickwick Club” on the obesity hypoventilation syndrome (OHS), which is defined as alveolar hypoventilation in an obese individual during wakefulness that cannot be explained to other conditions that lead to hypercapnia such as chronic obstructive lung disease (COPD). OHS is linked to significant cardiorespiratory morbidity and mortality with limited options for therapy. The exact pathogenesis of HS is unknown; however, reduced hypercapnic ventilatory response plays an important role. The etiology, epidemiology, pathophysiology, clinical manifestations, and evaluation are discussed here. Other types of sleep-disordered breathing are discussed in the following sections.