In contrast to the obstructive sleep apnoea syndrome (OSA) the obesity-hypoventilation syndrome (OHS) is characterized by persistent hypercapnia during the day. After positive pressure ventilation (PPV) patients with OHS the daytime blood gases normalize after a short time. The aim of this study was to investigate whether blood gases at the end of a standardized exercise test separate both OSA and OHS after 3 months of PPV. Fourteen patients with OHS (12 males, 53.2 +/- 9.5 years, BMI: 41.7 +/- 9.6 kg/m2, PCO2: 50.7 +/- 4.5 mmHg) and 28 patients with severe OSA (27 males, 54.5 +/- 8.3 years, BMI: 35.7 +/- 4.9 kg/m2, PCO2: 37.3 +/- 3.3 mmHg) were studied. Blood gases before and after 4 minutes constant load exercise test were measured. The exercise level for patients with OSA was 2/3 of the predicted maximal work load. Since in OHS the load tolerance was compromised, the exercise test was performed at 2/3 of the maximal exercise level which was investigated before. The identical exercise load was done before and 3 months after beginning the PPV. Compared to the OSA-group the load tolerance of the OHS-group was lower (112 +/- 20 Watt [2/3 of predicted maximal work load] versus 81 +/- 26 Watt [39.9 +/- 8.3% of predicted maximal work load], p < 0.0001). Both before and after 3 months of PPV all patients with OHS showed an exercise induced increase of PCO2 (Before PPV: from 50.7 +/- 4.5 to 56.6 +/- 5.8 mmHg; after PPV: from 39.1 +/- 2.7 to 45.6 +/- 2 mmHg, each p < 0.0001). Correspondingly the PCO2 decreased significantly. In OSA neither before nor after 3 months PPV the blood gases changed significantly during the exercise test. We conclude that the OHS associated hypercapnia during exercise is further on a reliable indicator for the diagnosis despite the daytime normocapnia during rest after PPV. However after PPV the PCO2-values of patients with OHS at rest are in the normal range.