PT - JOURNAL ARTICLE AU - Anita K. Simonds TI - Chronic hypoventilation and its management AID - 10.1183/09059180.00003113 DP - 2013 Sep 01 TA - European Respiratory Review PG - 325--332 VI - 22 IP - 129 4099 - http://err.ersjournals.com/content/22/129/325.short 4100 - http://err.ersjournals.com/content/22/129/325.full SO - EUROPEAN RESPIRATORY REVIEW2013 Sep 01; 22 AB - While obstructive sleep apnoea syndrome dominates discussion of the prevalence of sleep disordered breathing, nocturnal hypoventilation remains extremely prevalent in those with chronic ventilatory disorders and in the natural history of these conditions pre-dates the development of daytime ventilatory failure. In this review the clinical management of chronic hypoventilation in neuromuscular disease will be considered and then compared with that in obesity hypoventilation syndrome. In simple terms these conditions illustrate the polar opposite ends of the spectrum, as in neuromuscular disease the reduced capacity of the respiratory system is unable to withstand a normal respiratory load, and in obesity hypoventilation syndrome the normal capacity of the respiratory system is unable to tolerate a substantially increased ventilatory load.