Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2013 Nov 21;4(12):2042533313510156.
doi: 10.1177/2042533313510156. eCollection 2013 Dec.

Obesity hypoventilation syndrome in obstructive sleep apnea patients in the United Arab Emirates: a retrospective cross-sectional study

Ashraf Alzaabi  1 , Salahudeen Fizal  1 , Rafeek Moilothkandy  1 , Bassam Mahboub  2 , Nico Nagelkerke  3
Affiliations

Obesity hypoventilation syndrome in obstructive sleep apnea patients in the United Arab Emirates: a retrospective cross-sectional study

Ashraf Alzaabi et al. JRSM Short Rep. .

Abstract

Objectives: To estimate the frequency of symptoms of obesity hypoventilation syndrome (OHS) in patients with obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) and to evaluate comorbidities associated with OHS.

Design: Retrospective study based on patients' medical records and on further sleep tests performed in the study centre during the inclusion visit.

Setting: Respiratory Care Unit and Sleep Disorder Centre of the Zayed Military Hospital United Arab Emirates.

Participants: All patients referred to the study centre for a suspicion of sleep-disordered breathing.

Main outcome measures: Prevalence of OSA and OSA + OHS and comorbidities in patients with OSA and OHS.

Results: A total of 212 adult patients participated in the study. Of these, 107 patients (50.5% [43.8-57.1% CI 95%]) fulfilled diagnostic criteria for OSA, and the majority were men (79.4%). Among patients with OSA, 18 patients (16.8% [10.8-25.1% CI 95%]) fulfilled diagnostic criteria for OHS. In this group, women were more frequently affected than men (31.8% [7/22] vs. 12.9% [11/85], respectively; p = 0.03) and tended to be older than affected men, with a mean age of 55 ± 10.6 years versus 46 ± 13 for men. After adjustment for gender, OHS was significantly associated with hypertension (OR = 3.5; p = 0.03), diabetes mellitus (OR = 4.6; p = 0.02), ischaemic heart disease (OR = 5.1; p = 0.04) and pulmonary hypertension (OR = 16.1; p = 0.001).

Conclusion: OHS is a common condition in obese patients in the UAE and is associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular comorbidities and diabetes.

Keywords: Pickwickian syndrome; hyperpnoea syndrome; obesity; obstructive lung disease; obstructive sleep apnoea; pulmonary hypertension; restrictive lung disease.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Prevalence of OSA and OSA + OHS in the population referred to the sleep centre (n = 212).
Figure 2.
Figure 2.
Risk of selected cardiovascular and diabetes comorbidities in patients with OHS. The reference group in each case corresponded to patients with OSA who did not fulfill criteria for OHS. Data are presented in the form of a Forest plot showing odds ratios with their 95% confidence intervals. Data are adjusted for sex, using the Mantel–Haenszel test.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Ng SW, Zaghloul S, Ali HI, Harrison G, Popkin BM. The prevalence and trends of overweight, obesity and nutrition-related non-communicable diseases in the Arabian Gulf States. Obes Rev 2011; 12(1): 1–13 - PubMed
    1. Valencia-Flores M, Orea A, Castano VA, Resendiz M, Rosales M, Rebollar V, et al. Prevalence of sleep apnea and electrocardiographic disturbances in morbidly obese patients. Obes Res 2000; 8(3): 262–269 - PubMed
    1. Daltro C, Gregorio PB, Alves E, Abreu M, Bomfim D, Chicourel MH, et al. Prevalence and severity of sleep apnea in a group of morbidly obese patients. Obes Surg 2007; 17(6): 809–814 - PubMed
    1. Wall H, Smith C, Hubbard R. Body mass index and obstructive sleep apnoea in the UK: a crosssectional study of the over-50s. Prim Care Respir J 2012; 21(4): 371–376 - PMC - PubMed
    1. Young T, Palta M, Dempsey J, Skatrud J, Weber S, Badr S. The occurrence of sleep-disordered breathing among middle-aged adults. N Engl J Med 1993; 328(17): 1230–1235 - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources