Mortality rate in obstructive sleep apnea and in obesity hypoventilation syndrome

Introduction: The prevalence of obesity is continuously increasing worldwidely which increases the incidence of obesity hypoventilation syndrome (OHS) and its consequent mortality. Methods: We reviewed all OHS patients treated at our hospital between the years 2005-2016 for their therapy mode, and incidence of mortality. The control group consisted of randomly selected patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) treated during the same period. Results: A total of 208 OHS patients and 236 OSA patients were studied. OHS patients were significantly older, heavier and percentage of women was higher than OSA patients, mean ± SD (56 ± 10 vs 52 ± 11 years; body mass index 46 ± 8 vs 32 ± 7 kg/m2; percentage of women 41 vs., 24 %) respectively. The mortality rate was significantly higher in OHS compared to OSA [x2 (1, n = 442) = 6.464, P = .008]. Conclusions: The mortality rate of obesity hypoventilation syndrome is significantly higher than that of obstructive sleep apnea. This implies attention to an early detection and treatment.