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Obesity hypoventilation syndrome (OHS) - Symptom

Alternative Names

Pickwickian syndrome

Symptoms:

The main symptoms of OHS are due to lack of sleep and include:

Symptoms of low blood oxygen level (chronic hypoxia) can also occur, such as shortness of breath or feeling tired after very little effort.

Signs and tests:

People with OHS are usually very overweight. A physical exam may reveal:

  • Bluish color in the lips, fingers, toes, or skin (cyanosis)
  • Signs of right-side heart failure (cor pulmonale), such as swollen legs or feet, shortness of breath, or feeling tired after little effort
  • Reddish complexion

Tests used to help diagnose and confirm OHS include:

  • Arterial blood gas
  • Chest x-ray to rule out other possible causes
  • Lung (pulmonary) function
  • Sleep study

Doctors can tell OHS from obstructive sleep apnea because patients with OHS have high carbon dioxide levels in the blood when awake.

  • Reviewed last on: 8/5/2011
  • David C. Dugdale, III, MD, Professor of Medicine, Division of General Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Washington School of Medicine; Denis Hadjiliadis, MD, Assistant Professor of Medicine, Division of Pulmonary, Allergy and Critical Care, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.

References

Malhotra A. Disorders of ventilatory control. In: Goldman L, Schafer AI, eds. Cecil Medicine. 24th ed. Philadelphia, Pa: Saunders Elsevier; 2011:chap 86.

Tzelepis GE, McCool FD. The lungs and chest wall diseases. In: Mason RJ, Broaddus VC, Martin TR, et al, eds. Murray and Nadel’s Textbook of Respiratory Medicine. 5th ed. Philadelphia, Pa: Saunders Elsevier; 2010:chap 88.

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