Obesity And Trouble Breathing - What To Expect

The condition is first diagnosed with the help of simple physical examination like if the color of the lips, skin and the digits have turned bluish, if the skin reddens, if due to right-sided heart failure symptoms like swollen feet, fatigue and shortness of breath are observed and if the person tend s to sleep a lot, he/she may be diagnosed with OHS.

Arterial blood gas is a test used to diagnose OHS in obese patients. With the help of this technique it can be measured how much amount of carbon dioxide and oxygen are there in the blood. The test also determines the acidity or alkalinity of the blood. Other tests used for diagnosis of OHS are CT scan or chest X-ray, sleep study known as polysomnography, echocardiogram and lung function tests.

OHS needs an intensive treatment method that involves mechanical ventilation. Treatment options for OHS are oxygen therapy, breathing with the help of tracheostomy and also with mechanical ventilation that is not so invasive like CPAP- continuous positive airway pressure. BiPAP is another method in which the patient requires to wear a fitting mask on the nose and mouth while sleeping. This reduces the problem of sleep apnea and other sleep-related problems.

Obesity causes obesity hypoventilation syndrome (OHS) which does not allow the patient to breathe in easily. This, in turn, causes a reduced amount of oxygen transfer to the lungs and build up of CO2 levels in the blood. Such a condition causes symptoms like sleep apnea, poor sleep quality, daytime sleepiness, headaches, mood disorders etc.