If someone has fewer than three bowel movements a week then it’s constipation. Constipation can be of two types – occasional constipation and chronic constipation. Let’s check 10 facts about constipation and learn more about it.
10 Facts about Constipation
The age of the person suffering from constipation is an important factor. This is mainly due to the fact that with increasing age, factors like medication, indigestion, and inactivity increase.
Chronic constipation can be caused by certain diseases or conditions like chronic kidney failure, hypothyroidism, irritable bowel syndrome, neurogenic disorder, etc.
Constipation is a disorder caused by infrequent bowel movement as the waste material moves too slowly through the large intestine.
To overcome constipation disorder, laxatives are commonly used. But overuse of laxatives can make the bowels dependent on consistent use, and this can lead to bowel distension called melanosis coli.
Symptoms of constipation are abdominal bloating, gas indigestion, infrequent bowel movements, loss of appetite, etc.
Another fact – chronic Constipation can also cause complications like anal fissures due to difficulty in ejecting waste material from the anal part.
Constipation can be diagnosed by sigmoidoscopy or colonoscopy done by a healthcare professional. The diagnosis is done with a lighted tube with a camera on the end to look into part or all of the large intestine.
Constipation can be treated medically, but lifestyle changes as followed are often very important: a. Stopping medicines with constipating effects. b. Regular physical activity and exercise c. Regular water/fluid intake. d. Fibrous and non-processed food diet.
For the correct diagnosis and correct treatment of constipation, patient history and physical examination are key factors. Depending on the medication, any pre-existing illness is very important to be taken into consideration for prescribing the right treatment.
Even though constipation happens to around 2% of the world’s population, it is most common for women, aged persons, and children.
Hope these 10 facts about constipation were useful!
