[Treatment of patients with the Pickwickian syndrome by reduction of body weight].

The characteristic signs of Pickwickian syndrome are the high degree of obesity and cardiovascular and respiratory insufficiency, to various degrees. Forty five patients with Pickwickian syndrome were treated at the Clinic of Metabolic Diseases. They represent 3.4 per cent of the total number of patients with obesity of various degrees, observed and treated. The majority of the affected were established to be males (34), mainly III and IV degree of obesity. The average age of the patients was 51 years. Somnolence, lassitude, enhanced appetite, cyanosis and dyspnea with unrestful sleep, with sloring were observed in all patients. The moderate motive regiment applied and the hypoenergy diet under clinical condicions with an average stay of 26 days at the clinic led to considerable reduction of body mass (with 11,7 kg on the average), resulting into an improvement of the functional respiratory parameters and ECG. The elevated values of blood pressure were normalized in the majority of the patients after the treatment. In all patients, the unpleasant subjective complaints, somnolence including, disappeared and respiratory indices were improved. The significant disorders in lipid, carbohydrate and purine metabolism were favourably influenced by the therapeutic regiment applied.