Common Names: Irregularity
Image Notes: Types 1 and 2 on the Bristol Stool Chart indicate constipation.
Constipation or irregularity, is a condition of the digestive system where a person (or animal) experiences hard feces that are difficult to egest; it may be extremely painful, and in severe cases (fecal impaction) lead to symptoms of bowel obstruction. Obstipation refers to severe constipation. Causes of constipation may be dietary, hormonal, anatomical, a side effect of medications, or an illness or disorder. Treatment is with a change in dietary and exercise habits.
Signs and Symptoms
Constipation is one of the most common digestive complaints. It varies greatly between different people, as each person’s bowel movements differ. Most cases of constipation are caused by a low fiber diet or dehydration.Constipation is most common in children and older people, and affects women more than men. One in 200 women have severe, continuous constipation and it is most common before a period and in pregnancy.
Over 6 million people in the UK at any time find it painful or difficult to pass stools. The pain can be even worse if you have hemorrhoids or anal fissure.
In common constipation, the stool is hard and difficult to pass. Usually, there is an infrequent urge to void. Straining to pass stool may cause hemorrhoids and anal fissures. In later stages of constipation, the abdomen may become distended and diffusely tender and crampy, occasionally with enhanced bowel sounds. In addition, constipation is a most painful, disturbing, and somewhat embarrassing experience.
The definition of constipation includes the following:
* infrequent bowel movements (typically 3 times 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.
Medical authorities accept wide variations in toilet frequency as long as this does not cause any other symptoms. Defecating depends on dietary habits, exercise, fluid intake, and various other factors.
Severe cases ("fecal impaction") may feature symptoms of bowel obstruction (vomiting, very tender abdomen) and "paradoxical diarrhea", where soft stool from the small intestine bypasses the impacted matter in the colon.
Constipation in children can lead to soiling (enuresis and encopresis).
Text and images are licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. Material is used from the Wikipedia article "Constipation".
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