Attitudes of patients towards a hospital-based rehabilitation service for obesity hypoventilation syndrome

Obesity hypoventilation syndrome (OHS) is characterised by a body mass index of >30 kg/m2, with either diurnal or nocturnal hypoventilation in the absence of any other explanation for this.1 If left untreated, OHS can be associated with significant morbidity and mortality. Currently, the mainstay of treatment for OHS is non-invasive ventilation. Pulmonary rehabilitation (PR) is an established form of treatment for patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).2 PR is increasingly offered to patients with various other chronic respiratory diseases, and a similar programme with particular emphasis on obesity can reasonably be expected to benefit patients with OHS. At Papworth hospital, we …