HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS		QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Mokhlesi, B. Articles by Grunstein, R. R. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Mokhlesi, B. Articles by Grunstein, R. R.

Assessment and Management of Patients with Obesity Hypoventilation Syndrome

¹ Section of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, and Sleep Disorders Center, University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois; ² Sleep Medicine, Gaylord Hospital, Wallingford, Connecticut; and ³ Sleep and Circadian Research Group and Centre for Respiratory and Sleep Medicine, Woolcock Institute of Medical Research, University of Sydney, Camperdown, Sydney, Australia

Correspondence and requests for reprints should be addressed to Babak Mokhlesi, M.D., M.Sc., Section of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine, 5841 S. Maryland Avenue, MC 0999/Room L11B, Chicago, IL 60637. E-mail: bmokhles{at}medicine.bsd.uchicago.edu

ABSTRACT

Obesity hypoventilation syndrome (OHS) is characterized by obesity, daytime hypercapnia, and sleep-disordered breathing in the absence of significant lung or respiratory muscle disease. Compared with eucapnic morbidly obese patients and eucapnic patients with sleep-disordered breathing, patients with OHS have increased health care expenses and are at higher risk of developing serious cardiovascular disease leading to early mortality. Despite the significant morbidity and mortality associated with this syndrome, diagnosis and institution of effective treatment occur late in the course of the syndrome. Given that the prevalence of extreme obesity has increased considerably, it is likely that clinicians will encounter patients with OHS in their clinical practice. Therefore maintaining a high index of suspicion can lead to early recognition and treatment reducing the high burden of morbidity and mortality and related health care expenditure associated with undiagnosed and untreated OHS. In this review we define the clinical characteristics of the syndrome and review the pathophysiology, morbidity, and mortality associated with it. Last, we discuss currently available treatment modalities.

Key Words: Pickwickian syndrome • hypercapnia • sleep apnea • continuous positive airway pressure • noninvasive positive-pressure ventilation

This article has been cited by other articles:

				B. D. Medoff, Y. Okamoto, P. Leyton, M. Weng, B. P. Sandall, M. J. Raher, S. Kihara, K. D. Bloch, P. Libby, and A. D. Luster Adiponectin Deficiency Increases Allergic Airway Inflammation and Pulmonary Vascular Remodeling Am. J. Respir. Cell Mol. Biol., October 1, 2009; 41(4): 397 - 406. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				C. Cabrera Lacalzada and S. Diaz-Lobato Grading obesity hypoventilation syndrome severity Eur. Respir. J., September 1, 2008; 32(3): 817 - 818. [Full Text] [PDF]