Constipation

Introduction: Constipation

Constipation is any difficulty with bowel movements or unusually dry stool. It is common in children and older age, but can affect anyone. About 2% of the population suffers from chronic constipation.

There are various symptoms of constipation. Failure to have a daily bowel movement need not necessarily indicate constipation, as everyone has different bowel patterns. Various conditions can cause constipation ranging from poor diet, aging, pregnancy, irritable bowel syndrome, and numerous other underlying conditions. Constipation can also cause diarrhea leading to misdiagnosis. Various medications can cause constipation including overuse of laxatives that can cause a vicious cycle. See also the full list of conditions reporting a symptom of constipation.

Symptoms of Constipation

• Difficult bowel movement
• Dry bowel movement
• Painful bowel movement
• Dry feces
• Small feces

See full list of 32 symptoms of Constipation

Home Diagnostic Testing

Home medical testing related to Constipation:

• Colon & Rectal Cancer: Home Testing
  • Home Colorectal Cancer Tests
  • Home Fecal Occult Bleeding Tests

Medical Textbooks Online about Constipation

Book excerpts: Copyright © 2008 Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. All rights reserved.

Diagnostic Tests for Constipation

• Physical exam
• Digital rectal exam
• Blood tests
• Thyroid tests
• Barium enema x-ray

See full list of 9 diagnostic tests for Constipation

Wrongly Diagnosed with Constipation?

• Misdiagnosis of Constipation
• Failure to diagnose Constipation
• Underlying causes of Constipation (possibly wrongly diagnosed)
• Failure to diagnose Constipation

Misdiagnosis and Constipation

Chronic digestive conditions often misdiagnosed: When diagnosing chronic symptoms of the digestive tract, there are a variety of conditions that may be misdiagnosed. The best known, irritable bowel syndrome, is over...read more »

Intestinal bacteria disorder may be hidden cause: One of the lesser known causes of diarrhea is an imbalance of bacterial in the gut, sometimes called intestinal imbalance. The digestive system contains a variety of "good"...read more »

Antibiotics often causes diarrhea: The use of antibiotics are very likely to cause some level of diarrhea in patients. The reason is that antibiotics kill off not only "bad" bacteria, but can also...read more »

Food poisoning may actually be an infectious disease: Many people who come down with "stomach symptoms" like diarrhea assume that it's "something I ate"...read more »

Mesenteric adenitis misdiagnosed as appendicitis in children: Because appendicitis is one of the more feared conditions for a child with abdominal pain, it can be over-diagnosed (it can, of course,...read more »

Celiac disease often fails to be diagnosed cause of chronic digestive symptoms: One of the most common chronic digestive conditions is celiac disease, a malabsorption disorder with a variety of symptoms (see symptoms of celiac...read more »

Chronic digestive diseases hard to diagnose: There is an inherent difficulty in diagnosing the various types of chronic digestive diseases. Some of...read more »

Inspection the key to diagnose anal fissure: An anal fissure, although a minor problem, may lead to tremendous discomfort if not diagnosed...read more »

Read more about Misdiagnosis and Constipation

Causes of Constipation

• Dehydration
• Poor diet
• Low-fiber diet
• Inadequate water intake
• Laxative abuse

See full list of 53 causes of Constipation

More information about causes of Constipation:

• Medications, drugs, or substances causing Constipation (1742 listings)
• Drug interactions causing Constipation (513 listings)
• Underlying causes of Constipation
• Constipation as a complication caused by other conditions
• Constipation as a symptom
• Medical news summaries relating to Causes of Constipation

Treatments for Constipation

• Water
• Fluids
• High fiber diet
• Exercise
• Enema - though over-use of enemas can lead to medical problems.

See full list of 32 treatments for Constipation

Videos for Constipation

Patient Surveys for Constipation

• Patient Profile Survey
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• Survey about the symptoms of your Constipation
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Prognosis for Constipation

More about prognosis of Constipation

Reseach about Constipation

Visit our research pages for current research about Constipation treatments.

Clinical Trials for Constipation

The US based website ClinicalTrials.gov lists information on both federally and privately supported clinical trials using human volunteers.

Some of the clinical trials listed on ClinicalTrials.gov for Constipation include:

• Phase 2 Study of MD-1100 Acetate Administered for 14 Days to Patients Meeting Criteria for Chronic Constipation - This study is currently recruiting patients (Current: 23 Nov 2006) - MD-1100 Acetate
• Dose-Range-Finding, Phase 2 Trial of Oral Linaclotide Acetate Administered to Patients With Chronic Constipation - This study is currently recruiting patients (Current: 23 Nov 2006) - linaclotide acetate
• Constipation in Pediatric Cancer Patients Receiving Vinca Alkaloids or Narcotics - This study has been completed (Current: 23 Nov 2006)
• Study Of Alvimopan Drug For Treatment Of Constipation Due To Prescription Pain Medication - This study is currently recruiting patients (Current: 23 Nov 2006) - alvimopan
• Biofeedback for Dyssynergic Constipation - This study is no longer recruiting patients (Current: 23 Nov 2006) - Diazepam

See full list of 57 Clinical Trials for Constipation

Prevention of Constipation

Prevention information for Constipation has been compiled from various data sources and may be inaccurate or incomplete. None of these methods guarantee prevention of Constipation.

• Drink water
• Eat fiber
• Exercise
• Avoid holding back bowel movement

Read more about prevention of Constipation

Statistics for Constipation

• Medical statistics for Constipation
• Prevalence and incidence statistics for Constipation
• Death and Mortality statistics for Constipation
• Society statistics for Constipation

Types of Constipation

• Common constipation - occasional constipation
• Chronic constipation
• Travel-related constipation
• Age-related constipation
• Pregnancy-related constipation

See full list of 7 Types of Constipation

Medical Guidebooks and Ebooks for Constipation

• Icon Health Sourcebook for Constipation

See all guides and ebooks for Constipation

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User Interactive Forums

Read about other experiences, ask a question about Constipation, or answer someone else's question, on our message boards:

• I can not get a diagnosis. Please help.
• Tell us your medical story.
• Share your misdiagnosis story.
• What is the best treatment for this?
• See all the forums.

Article Excerpts about Constipation

Constipation is passage of small amounts of hard, dry bowel movements, usually fewer than three times a week. People who are constipated may find it difficult and painful to have a bowel movement. Other symptoms of constipation include feeling bloated, uncomfortable, and sluggish.

Many people think they are constipated when, in fact, their bowel movements are regular. For example, some people believe they are constipated, or irregular, if they do not have a bowel movement every day. However, there is no right number of daily or weekly bowel movements. Normal may be three times a day or three times a week depending on the person. In addition, some people naturally have firmer stools than others.

At one time or another almost everyone gets constipated. Poor diet and lack of exercise are usually the causes. In most cases, constipation is temporary and not serious. Understanding causes, prevention, and treatment will help most people find relief. (Source: excerpt from Constipation: NIDDK)

Definitions of Constipation:

Constipation; irregular and infrequent or difficult evacuation of the bowels. - (Source - Diseases Database)

Irregular and infrequent or difficult evacuation of the bowels; can be a symptom of intestinal obstruction or diverticulitis - (Source - WordNet 2.1)