What is obesity hypoventilation syndrome?
Obesity hypoventilation syndrome (OHS) is a breathing disorder that affects some people who have obesity. The condition causes you to have too much carbon dioxide and not enough oxygen in your blood (hypercapnia). Normally, you exhale carbon dioxide and inhale oxygen. But when you’re breathing at a slow rate, you’re not moving enough air in and out of your lungs. This is called hypoventilation.
In addition to hypoventilation, you may also have sleep-disordered breathing due to obstructive sleep apnea. About 90% of the sleep-disordered breathing that occurs with OHS is due to obstructive sleep apnea. Therefore, OHS is typically a combination of three factors:
- Obesity.
- Hypoventilation.
- Sleep-disordered breathing.
Another name for OHS is Pickwickian syndrome. In the 1950s, scientists named the condition after a character in a Charles Dickens novel that had symptoms of OHS.
Obesity hypoventilation syndrome is a serious respiratory complication of obesity. It can cause life-threatening health issues, but it’s treatable.
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Who does obesity hypoventilation syndrome affect?
OHS affects more men and people assigned male at birth (AMAB) than women and people assigned female at birth (AFAB). It also affects Black people more often than white people.
How common is obesity hypoventilation syndrome?
The exact rates of OHS are unknown. But studies estimate that OHS occurs in 0.4% to 0.6% of the U.S. adult population. That equals about 1 out of every 260 American adults.
