What is Pickwickean Syndrome?
Pickwickean Syndrome; World Obesity Day; ICD-10-CM; The Pickwick Papers; Charles Dickens
3 min read
Most eponymous diseases are named after the person who first described the condition: think Addison disease, Huntington’s disease, and Alzheimer’s disease, which we wrote about in 2025. Sometimes, the disease is named after a patient (Lou Gehrig’s Disease, Mortimer’s disease). But did you know that Pickwickean syndrome is named after a fictional character? Read more to learn about Pickwickean syndrome and how it is classified in ICD-10-CM.
What is Pickwickean Syndrome?
Pickwickean syndrome, also known as obesity hypoventilation syndrome (OHS), involves sleep-disordered breathing that causes a person to stop breathing for short periods of time while sleeping. According to the Cleveland Clinic, this condition causes a patient to have too much carbon dioxide and not enough oxygen in their blood. Since the patient is breathing at a slow rate, not enough air is moving in and out of the lungs (hypoventilation). It may be related to both obesity and neurological conditions. In the 1950s, scientists named the condition after the fictional character Samuel Pickwick.
Who is Samuel Pickwick?
We do our research here at the AHA Central Office—so we went down to the local library to pick up a copy of The Pickwick Papers by Charles Dickens. First published as a single volume in 1837, The Pickwick Papers recounts the adventures of the philosopher Samuel Pickwick and his friends, who comprise the Pickwick Club.
Samuel Pickwick is described as an “eloquent” man with a “bald head and circular spectacles” and “drowsy tendencies.” At one point in the book, he falls asleep after a large meal with his friends, and at another point, he falls asleep in a wheelbarrow after drinking too much: “....and finally, after rising to his legs to address the company in an eloquent speech, he fell into the barrow, and fast asleep, simultaneously...snoring most comfortably in the shade.”
How is Pickwickean Syndrome classified in ICD-10-CM?
Pickwickean Syndrome is classified in Chapter 4 of ICD-10-CM, Endocrine, nutritional and metabolic diseases, under category E66, Overweight and obesity.
Conclusion
Pickwickean syndrome is not the only disease named after a fictional character. Munchausen syndrome is named after the fictional character of Baron Munchausen from Baron Munchausen’s Narrative of His Marvellous Travels and Campaigns in Russia, which was written by the German writer Rudolf Erich Raspe in 1785. Do you know of any other syndromes or diseases named after fictional characters? Let us know at codingclinicsupport@aha.org!
Resources
Addison’s Disease Self-Help Group. (n.d.). Dr Thomas Addison (1793–1860). https://www.addisonsdisease.org.uk/dr-thomas-addison
Cleveland Clinic. (n.d.). Obesity hypoventilation syndrome (OHS). https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/24393-obesity-hypoventilation-syndrome
Dickens, C. (1837–1838). The Pickwick papers. Chapman & Hall.
Huntington’s Disease Society of America. (n.d.). History of Huntington’s disease. https://hdsa.org/what-is-hd/history-and-genetics-of-huntingtons-disease/history-of-huntingtons-disease/
Raspe, R. E. (1785). Baron Munchausen’s narrative of his marvellous travels and campaigns in Russia. G. Kearsley.
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Pickwickean Syndrome; World Obesity Day; ICD-10-CM; The Pickwick Papers; Charles Dickens