Constipation is a chronic disorder involving infrequent bowel movements, a sensation of obstruction, and incomplete evacuation. Many medical conditions can cause constipation, such as mechanical obstruction, metabolic conditions, myopathies, and neuropathies. Diagnostic testing for constipation can aid in distinguishing between 2 categories of disorders, slow-transit constipation and pelvic flo...

OBJECTIVE To report the defecation patterns of brain-injured patients and evaluate the relationship between functional ability and colon transit time (CTT) in stroke patients. METHOD A total of 55 brain-injured patients were recruited. Patient interviews and medical records review of pattern of brain injury, anatomical site of lesion, bowel habits, constipation score, and Bristol scale were c...

BACKGROUND/AIM Functional constipation (FC) and constipation-predominant IBS (C-IBS) are two main subtypes of constipation. Using radio-opaque markers is an easy and cost effective method to measure colonic transit time (CTT). We designed this study to compare the CTT between these two groups of constipated patients. METHODS Patients with chronic constipation of no organic etiology were class...

BACKGROUND Many factors have been linked to the occurrence of constipation, but few studies exist regarding the link between obesity and constipation. The aim of this study was to assess the association between body mass index (BMI) and functional constipation in the Iranian community. METHODS From May 2006 to December 2007, a cross sectional study was conducted in the Tehran province and a t...

Constipation in children usually is functional and the result of stool retention. However, family physicians must be alert for red flags that may indicate the presence of an uncommon but serious organic cause of constipation, such as Hirschsprung's disease (congenital aganglionic megacolon), pseudo-obstruction, spinal cord abnormality, hypothyroidism, diabetes insipidus, cystic fibrosis, gluten...