Constipation also known as costiveness, dyschezia,and dyssynergic defaecation is a symptom of infrequent hard to pass bowel movements. Defecation may be painful, and in severe cases (fecal impaction) may lead to symptoms of bowel obstruction. The term obstipation describes severe constipation which prevents passage of both stool and gas. Causes of constipation can be dietary, hormonal, anatomical, side effects of medications (e.g., some opiates), and poisoning by heavy metals. Treatments may include changes in dietary habits, laxatives, and enemas.
The definition of constipation includes the following:
- infrequent bowel movements (typically three times or fewer per week)
- difficulty during defecation (straining during more than 25% of bowel movements or a subjective sensation of hard stools), or
- the sensation of incomplete bowel evacuation.
In general, constipation is when someone goes to the toilet less often than usual, or when it’s difficult to pass a motion. It’s a change from a person’s usual pattern of bowel opening. Some people pass a motion twice a day, some three times a week; the pattern is different for all of us. Although most people believe constipation means not passing motions at all, medically speaking it just means passing motions less often than you normally do.
Normal and chronic constipation
A process called peristalsis, where the gut muscles contract, squeezes the food through the gut rather like toothpaste out of a tube. Between the mouth and the anus, the food passes through about nine metres of gut, and by the time it leaves your body all the available nutrients should have been absorbed into the body. For smooth passage, bowel motions need to be large enough to help stimulate these gut contractions and soft enough to slide easily along the bowel.
Many people feel embarrassed, even guilty, when they’re constipated. Millions of people experience constipation. Around one person in ten in the UK is believed to become constipated regularly.
Constipation Symptoms
Common symptoms include:
- passing a motion less often than usual
- having to strain to pass a motion
- pain when passing a motion
- passing motions that are dry and hard, like rabbit pellets
- a feeling of incomplete bowel emptying
Sometimes straining may be ineffective and no motion is passed.
People with constipation may quickly feel full when eating. Bloating, nausea, even vomiting may occur. Straining may cause piles and rectal bleeding.
Constipation Cause
The causes of constipation can be divided into congenital, primary, and secondary. The most common cause is primary and not life threatening. In the elderly, causes include: insufficient dietary fiber intake, inadequate fluid intake, decreased physical activity, side effects of medications, hypothyroidism, and obstruction by colorectal cancer.
Common causes of constipation include:
- Lack of liquid
- Lack of dietary fibre
- Inactivity
- Stress
- Ignoring the urge to go to the toilet.
Other causes include some medications (such as painkillers), some medical conditions (for example, irritable bowel syndrome) and changes in environment (going on holiday).
Constipation Treatment
The main treatment of constipation involves the increased intake of water, and fiber (either dietary or as supplements). The routine use of laxatives is discouraged, as having bowel movements may come to be dependent upon their use. Enemas can be used to provide a form of mechanical stimulation. However, enemas are generally useful only for stool in the rectum, not in the intestinal tract.
Take regular exercise, drink at least eight glasses of water a day and eat more fibre, including bran cereals, wholegrain bread and rice, and at least five portions of fruit and vegetables a day. Never ignore the urge to go to the toilet. Try to keep stress to a minimum. Advice about suitable laxatives is available from your pharmacist or GP. Seek medical advice if these measures don’t help or if constipation is associated with severe abdominal pain, vomiting or passing blood or mucus in the motions.
Source:
-http://www.bbc.co.uk/health/physical_health/conditions/constipation1.shtml
-http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Constipation
