Obesity is a common cause of chronic respiratory failure with a reported prevalence of about 0ยท5% in the USA.1 When obesity is complicated by hypercapnic respiratory failure, it is termed obesity hypoventilation syndrome, which is defined as obesity, sleep-disordered breathing, and hypercapnic respiratory failure in the absence of another cause of hypoventilation. The nature of sleep-disordered breathing in obesity hypoventilation syndrome varies, although the majority of patients have obstructive sleep apnoea with or without hypoventilation.
Original Article: [Comment] Obesity hypoventilation syndrome: is less really more?