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Constipation Health Article

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Definition

Constipation is an acute or chronic condition in which bowel movements occur less often than usual or consist of hard, dry stools that are painful or difficult to pass. Bowel habits vary, but an adult who has not had a bowel movement in three days or a child who has not had a bowel movement in four days is considered constipated.

Description

Constipation is one of the most common medical complaints in the United States. It can occur at any age and is more common among individuals who resist the urge to move their bowels at the body's signal. This often happens when children start school or enter daycare and feel shy about asking permission to use the bathroom.

Constipation is more common in women than in men and is especially apt to occur during pregnancy. Age alone does not increase the frequency of constipation, but elderly people are more likely to suffer from the condition.

Although this condition is rarely serious, it can lead to:

bowel obstruction
chronic constipation
hemorrhoids (a mass of dilated veins in swollen tissue around the anus)
hernia (a protrusion of an organ through a tear in the muscle wall)
spastic colitis (irritable bowel syndrome, a condition characterized by alternating periods of diarrhea and constipation)
laxative dependency

Chronic constipation may be a symptom of colorectal cancer, depression, diabetes, diverticulosis (small pouches in the muscles of the large intestine), lead poisoning, or Parkinson's disease. An opioid overdose (as in excessive codeine from cough suppressants or heroin addiction) also may result in constipation.

In someone who is elderly or disabled, constipation may be a symptom of bowel impaction, a more serious condition in which feces are trapped in the lower part of the large intestine. A doctor should be called if an elderly or disabled person is constipated for more than a week or if a child seems to be constipated.

A doctor should be notified whenever constipation occurs after starting a new prescription, vitamin, or mineral supplement or is accompanied by blood in the stools, changes in bowel patterns, fever, or abdominal pain.

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