Constipation

1. What is constipation?
2. Prognosis of the disease
3. Symptoms
4. Diagnostic tests
5. What are the causes?
6. Can it be prevented?
7. Treatments for constipation
8. What expert treats it?

What is constipation?

The term constipation is related to an individual’s bowel habits and frequency of bowel movements. A person who has fewer than three bowel movements a week is considered constipated. However, there are people who have more frequent bowel movements but suffer from discomfort, excessive straining, very hard stools or the sensation of not having a complete bowel movement.

Constipation can be classified as follows:

• Transient constipation: It arises occasionally due to external causes related to a change in diet, rhythm of life, vacations, stress, lack of exercise or taking any medication. When the cause disappears, the normal rhythm of defecation is resumed.
• Chronic or habitual constipation: Occurs for long periods of time. In these cases, a specific diagnosis is necessary to rule out other possible pathologies and thus adopt healthy lifestyle habits that influence the normal defecation rhythm.

Prognosis of the disease

In most cases, constipation does not usually have a poor prognosis; it is a common pathology with few complications. Even so, the quality of life of people suffering from constipation is usually altered, becoming a very frequent reason for consultation.

In any case, it is important to focus on the causative disease, as it can often be easily corrected.

Symptoms of constipation

The symptoms noticed by the constipated patient depend on the patient. Even so, the most common are:

• Less than three bowel movements per week
• Difficulty going to the bathroom
• Hard stools
• Straining to defecate
• Presence of gas
• Pain during bowel movements

Treatment of constipation
will be related to the cause

Medical tests for constipation

To diagnose constipation, a general physical examination will be performed, as well as a digital rectal examination. However, a number of additional tests will be necessary:

• Blood tests
• X-ray: to see if the intestines are obstructed or if stool is present in the colon.
• Sigmoidoscopy
• Colonoscopy
• Anorectal manometry
• Balloon expulsion test
• Colonic transit evaluation
• Defecography

What are the causes of constipation?

The most frequent cause of constipation is related to dietary factors and, in particular, to lack of fiber. Other times it is related to diseases, being a typical symptom in patients with diabetes and thyroid diseases.

Also, some medications used to treat pain, depression and some heart diseases may also cause constipation.

An extreme case is related to pain during bowel movements and the presence of blood in the stool, which may be due to a tumor in the intestine.

There are also a number of physiological causes:

• Intestinal hypomotility, in which the muscles of the intestine do not have sufficient strength to perform the contractions to expel the stool. Thus, involuntary contractions or spasms appear that cause the stool not to be expelled correctly.
• Rectal problems, in which the rectum does not produce sufficient reflex to carry out a normal defecation or there are lesions that cause pain in the patient.
• Weakness of the muscles of the abdominal wall, with little pressure to evacuate.
• Mechanical obstruction of the colon or rectum, when there are lesions of the large intestine or anus.

Can it be prevented?

Prevention consists of following a series of recommendations:

• Leading a healthy lifestyle, with a diet rich in fiber, with foods such as vegetables and fruits.
• Reducing the intake of processed foods, as well as dairy products and meat.
• Drinking plenty of fluids (approximately two liters of water per day).
• Exercising regularly
• Getting your body used to going to the bathroom when you feel the urge to defecate, instead of waiting.
• Control stress

Treatments for constipation

Treatment of constipation will be related to the cause; thus, there are different options for correcting constipation:

• Diet and lifestyle changes: increasing consumption of high-fiber foods and exercising most days of the week.
• Taking laxatives: there are different types of laxatives (fiber supplements, stimulants, osmotics, lubricants, stool softeners, enemas and suppositories), which can facilitate bowel movements.
• Other medications: there are some medications that can also help correct constipation.
• Surgery: when all possible treatments have been tried without success and constipation persists, surgery may be performed to remove part of the colon.

What specialist treats constipation?

The expert in charge of treating constipation is the Digestive Tract Specialist.