ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND
Chronic constipation is a prevalent disorder that affects patients' quality of life and consumes resources in healthcare systems worldwide. In clinical practice, it is still ...considered a challenge as clinicians frequently are unsure as to which treatments to use and when. Over a decade ago, a Neurogastroenterology & Motility journal supplement devoted to the investigation and management of constipation was published (2009; 21 (Suppl.2)). This included seven articles, disseminating all themes covered during a preceding 2‐day meeting held in London, entitled “Current perspectives in chronic constipation: a scientific and clinical symposium.” In October 2018, the 3rd London Masterclass, entitled “Contemporary management of constipation” was held, again over 2 days. All faculty members were invited to author two new review articles, which represent a collective synthesis of talks presented and discussions held during this meeting.
PURPOSE
This article represents the first of these reviews, addressing epidemiology, diagnosis, clinical associations, pathophysiology, and investigation. Clearly, not all aspects of the condition can be covered in adequate detail; hence, there is a focus on particular “hot topics” and themes that are of contemporary interest. The second review addresses management of chronic constipation, covering behavioral, conservative, medical, and surgical therapies.
Chronic constipation is a common, persistent condition affecting many patients worldwide, presenting significant economic burden and resulting in substantial healthcare utilization. In addition to ...infrequent bowel movements, the definition of constipation includes excessive straining, a sense of incomplete evacuation, failed or lengthy attempts to defecate, use of digital manoeuvres for evacuation of stool, abdominal bloating, and hard consistency of stools. After excluding secondary causes of constipation, chronic idiopathic or primary constipation can be classified as functional defecation disorder, slow-transit constipation (STC), and constipation-predominant irritable bowel syndrome (IBS-C). These classifications are not mutually exclusive and significant overlap exists. Initial therapeutic approach to primary constipation, regardless of aetiology, consists of diet and lifestyle changes such as encouraging adequate fluid and fibre intake, regular exercise, and dietary modification. Laxatives are the mainstay of pharmacologic treatment for potential long-term therapy in patients who do not respond to lifestyle or dietary modification. After a failed empiric trial of laxatives, diagnostic testing is necessary to understand underlying anorectal and/or colonic pathophysiology. No single test provides a comprehensive assessment for primary constipation; therefore, multiple tests are used to provide complementary information to one another. Dyssynergic defecation, a functional defecation disorder, is an acquired behavioural disorder of defecation present in two-thirds of adult patients, where an inability to coordinate the abdominal, recto-anal, and pelvic floor muscles during attempted defecation exists. Biofeedback therapy is the mainstay treatment for dyssynergic defecation aimed at improving coordination of abdominal and anorectal muscles. A large percentage of patients with dyssynergic defecation also exhibit rectal hyposensitivity and may benefit from the addition of sensory retraining. Our understanding of the pathophysiology of STC is evolving. The advent of high-resolution colonic manometry allows for the improved identification of colonic motor patterns and may provide further insight into pathophysiological mechanisms. In a minority of cases of STC, identification of colonic neuropathy suggests a medically refractory condition, warranting consideration of colectomy. The pathophysiology of IBS-C is poorly understood with multiple etiological factors implicated. Pharmacological advances in the treatment of primary constipation have added therapeutic options to the armamentarium of this disorder. Drug development in the secretagogue, serotonergic prokinetic, and ileal bile acid transporter inhibition pathways has yielded current and future medical treatment options for primary chronic constipation.
Management of obstructed defecation Podzemny, Vlasta; Pescatori, Lorenzo Carlo; Pescatori, Mario
World journal of gastroenterology : WJG,
01/2015, Letnik:
21, Številka:
4
Journal Article
Odprti dostop
The management of obstructed defecation syndrome(ODS) is mainly conservative and mainly consists of fiber diet, bulking laxatives, rectal irrigation or hydrocolontherapy, biofeedback, transanal ...electrostimulation, yoga and psychotherapy. According to our experience, nearly 20% of the patients need surgical treatment. If we consider ODS an "iceberg syndrome", with "emerging rocks", rectocele and rectal internal mucosal prolapse, that may benefit from surgery, at least two out of ten patients also has "underwater rocks" or occult disorders, such as anismus, rectal hyposensation and anxiety/depression, which mostly require conservative treatment. Rectal prolapse excision or obliterative suture, rectoceleand/or enterocele repair, retrograde Malone’s enema and partial myotomy of the puborectalis muscle are effective in selected cases. Laparoscopic ventral sacral colporectopexy may be an effective surgical option. Stapled transanal rectal resection may lead to severe complications. The Transtar procedure seems to be safer, when dealing with recto-rectal intussusception. A multidisciplinary approach to ODS provides the best results.
Constipation is a frequently diagnosed gastrointestinal disorder. Symptoms of constipation are common, with the greatest prevalence in the elderly. Evaluation of constipation begins with a detailed ...medical history and a focused anorectal examination. Diagnostic testing for constipation is not routinely recommended in the initial evaluation in the absence of alarm signs. Key self-management strategies include increased exercise, a high-fiber diet, and toilet training. High-fiber diets can worsen symptoms in some patients who have chronic constipation. Biofeedback is an effective treatment option for patients who have constipation caused by outlet obstruction defecation. A variety of medications are available to remedy constipation.
Constipation is one of the most frequent symptoms encountered in daily clinical practice and is implicated in the development of atherosclerosis, potentially through altered gut microbiota. However, ...little is known about its association with incident cardiovascular events.
In a nationally representative cohort of 3,359,653 US veterans with an estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) ≥60 mL/min/1.73 m2 between October 1, 2004 and September 30, 2006 (baseline period), with follow-up through 2013, we examined the association of constipation status (absence or presence; defined using diagnostic codes and laxative use) and laxative use (none, one, or ≥2 types of laxatives) with all-cause mortality, incident coronary heart disease (CHD), and incident ischemic stroke.
Among 3,359,653 patients, 237,855 (7.1%) were identified as having constipation. After multivariable adjustments for demographics, prevalent comorbidities, medications, and socioeconomic status, patients with (versus without) constipation had 12% higher all-cause mortality (hazard ratio HR, 1.12; 95% CI, 1.11–1.13), 11% higher incidence of CHD (HR, 1.11; 95% CI, 1.08–1.14), and 19% higher incidence of ischemic stroke (HR, 1.19; 95% CI, 1.15–1.22). Patients with one and ≥2 (versus none) types of laxatives experienced a similarly higher risk of all-cause mortality (HRs 95% CI, 1.15 1.13–1.16 and 1.14 1.12–1.15, respectively), incident CHD (HRs 95% CI, 1.11 1.07–1.15 and 1.10 1.05–1.15, respectively) and incident ischemic stroke (HRs 95% CI, 1.19 1.14–1.23 and 1.21 1.16–1.26, respectively).
Constipation status and laxative use are independently associated with higher risk of all-cause mortality and incident CHD and ischemic stroke.
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•Constipation and laxative use associate with higher risk of mortality.•They also associate with higher incidence of coronary heart disease and stroke.•Findings are robust to various sensitivity analyses.
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