Prevalence and impact of self‐reported painful and non‐painful constipation in the general population

Abstract

Introduction Chronic constipation, defined by the Rome IV criteria, is a highly prevalent functional bowel disorder with major overlap with other bowel disorders. Therefore, a pooled‐analysis to evaluate the presence of self‐reported constipation in the general population was conducted. Further, its association with other bowel symptoms and its health‐economic impact was analyzed. Methods Collection of information on bowel symptoms’ prevalence and their impact was done through an Internet survey (Medistrat Internet panel). The analysis focused on patients who reported constipation symptoms over the last 12 months. Firstly, participants who with or without constipation were compared. Secondly, subjects reporting constipation with (PC) or without abdominal pain (NPC) were studied. Key Results A total of 1012 subjects (45.2 ± 0.5 years old, 62% females), of whom 217 (21%) reported constipation, completed the survey. Women were significantly more represented in the group reporting constipation compared to those with other bowel symptoms (81.57% vs 56.60%, P < .0001). Subjects reporting constipation experienced more additional bowel symptoms than those who did not report constipation [3(2‐6) vs 2(1‐4), P < .0001]. Of those with constipation, 134 patients reported NPC compared to 83 patients with PC. The presence of PC was associated with higher prevalence of diarrhea symptoms, alternating bowel movements, bloating, cramps, gas, and altered stool frequency and consistency (all P < .01). Out of 83 PC patients, 38 (45.24%) fulfilled the Rome IV IBS criteria. Conclusion Self‐reported constipation, often associated with other bowel symptoms, is a highly prevalent condition in the Belgian general population. Especially when abdominal pain is present, this generates major healthcare costs.

Constipation Scoring System Validated for the Portuguese Language (Índice De Gravidade Da Constipação Intestinal): Is It Reliable in Assessing the Severity of Intestinal Chronic Constipation in Our Population?

“…Likewise, with regard to patients, a significant number informed a duration of symptoms greater than 20 years. This fact infers the greater reliability and precision in obtaining information and emphasizes the chronic nature of intestinal constipation 1 , 4 , 16 , 23 , 28 .…”

“…Intestinal chronic constipation is one of the most frequent gastrointestinal disorders in general clinical practice 17 , 27 , 28 , reaching up to 34% of the studied population. It is considered to have a high global prevalence being endemic in the elderly population and associate with a significant impact on quality of life 14 , 16 .…”

Recognizing and Defining Occasional Constipation: Expert Consensus Recommendations

“…An OC definition is important because a large study of adults (15) found prevalence estimates of 9%–59% depending on which of 5 OC definitions was used. Prevalence rates of self-reported constipation of 21%–29.5% have been consistently reported (16–20). This contrasts with a meta-analysis of 45 studies reporting a pooled prevalence of 14% for CIC among over 261,000 adults (21).…”

Bacillus Subtilis Promotes the Release of 5-HT to Regulate Intestinal Peristalsis in STC Mice via Bile Acid and Its Receptor TGR5 Pathway

“…Slow transit constipation (STC) is a kind of constipation caused by colon dynamics transportation dysfunction that slows the transmission of intestinal contents, which severely affects the quality of life of patients [1,2]. Insufficient intestinal peristalsis, abnormal intestinal nervous system and disturbance of intestinal microecological balance can all lead to STC, and the treatment of STC is mainly to relieve constipation symptoms, restore intestinal motility and defecation function [3].…”