Constipation

Constipation

• Different definitions of constipation have been used in clinical studies → difficulty in characterizing the problem.

– < 3 stools / week →♀, < 5 stools / week → ♂, despite high fiber diet.

– A period > 3 days without bowel movements.

• Constipation results from ↓ intestinal motility → slow movements of feces through large intestine → dry, hard feces in the descending colon that accumulate because of the long time available for absorption of fluid.

• Constipation is not a disease; it’s a symptom of an underlying disease problem.

Causes of constipation:

1. Low fiber diet.2. Medical problem:

1. GI obstruction / tumors.2. DM.

3. Pregnancy.4. Drug induced, e.g. analgesics.5. Psychogenic.6. Functional cause of constipation is irregular

bowel habits that have developed through a lifetime of inhibition of the normal defection reflex.