Constipation

Constipation is a condition in which you may have fewer than three bowel movements a week; stools that are hard, dry, or lumpy; stools that are difficult or painful to pass; or a feeling that not all stool has passed. You usually can take steps to prevent or relieve constipation.

Parkman HP, Sharkey E, McCallum RW, Hasler WL, Koch KL, Sarosiek I, Abell TL, Kuo B, Shulman RJ, Grover M, Farrugia G. Constipation in patients with symptoms of gastroparesis: analysis of symptoms and gastrointestinal transit. Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology. 2020 Oct 28.

Chronic constipation is infrequent bowel movements or difficult passage of stools that persists for several weeks or longer.

Symptoms

Signs and symptoms of chronic constipation include:

  • Passing fewer than three stools a week
  • Having lumpy or hard stools
  • Straining to have bowel movements
  • Feeling as though there’s a blockage in your rectum that prevents bowel movements
  • Feeling as though you can’t completely empty the stool from your rectum
  • Needing help to empty your rectum, such as using your hands to press on your abdomen and using a finger to remove stool from your rectum

https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/constipation/symptoms-causes/syc-20354253

Prevalence

Overall, the average prevalence of constipation in adults has been estimated as 16% worldwide (varies between 0.7% and 79%); whereas the prevalence of 33.5% was attributed to adults aged 60 to 110 years.1

ooled prevalence of functional constipation was 15·3% (95% CI 8·1-24·4, I2=99·4%) in studies using the Rome I criteria, 11·2% (7·9-14·9; I2=99·6%) in studies that used Rome II criteria, 10·4% (6·5-14·9; I2=99·8%) in those that used Rome III criteria, and 10·1% (8·7-11·6; I2=98·2%) when Rome IV criteria were used. Prevalence of functional constipation was higher in women, irrespective of the Rome criteria used (OR 2·40 [95% CI 2·02-2·86] for Rome I, 1·94 [1·46-2·57] for Rome II, and 2·32 [1·85-2·92] for Rome III; no studies using Rome IV criteria reported prevalence by sex). 2

References

1.Forootan M, Bagheri N, Darvishi M. Chronic constipation: A review of literature. Medicine. 2018 May;97(20).

2.Barberio B, Judge C, Savarino EV, Ford AC. Global prevalence of functional constipation according to the Rome criteria: a systematic review and meta-analysis. The Lancet Gastroenterology & Hepatology. 2021 Aug 1;6(8):638-48.