Abstract
Background:Constipation is one of the most common gastrointestinal disorders particularly in industrialized countries. Incidence of constipation varies from 3.4 % to 27.2% in different societies. Increase in urban population, industrialization of communities, changes in behavioral and nutritional habits and inactivity have increased the number of patients suffering from constipation.Objectives:The aim of the study was to measure colonic transit time in patients with chronic idiopathic constipation.Patients and Methods:Fifty-two patients with chronic idiopathic constipation (according to ROME III criteria) were selected. Patients with diabetes mellitus, hypothyroidism, and hypoparathyroidism were excluded. Each patient took a capsule containing ten 1-3 mm long angiographic guide daily for 6 days. Abdominal x-ray was performed on the seventh day. Remaining markers in each segment were counted and segmental and total colonic transit time was calculated. The analysis was performed by SPSS version 18. In all tests, a P-value less than 0.05 was considered statistically significant.Results:The mean age of patients was 36.9 ± 10.1 years. 80.8 % of patients were female. The mean total colonic transit time was 40.8 ±35.1 hours. 34.6 % of patients and 36.5 % of them had prolonged total and segmental colonic transit time.Conclusions:We found that prolonged total and segmental colonic transit time is common in patients with chronic idiopathic constipation.
Highlights
Constipation is one of the most common gastrointestinal disorders in industrialized countries
We found that 28 patients (53.8%) had history of chronic constipation for more than 3 years
In 18 patients (34.6%), total colonic transit time was longer than normal (≥45 hours) (Table 2)
Summary
Constipation is one of the most common gastrointestinal disorders in industrialized countries. Objectives: The aim of the study was to measure colonic transit time in patients with chronic idiopathic constipation. The mean total colonic transit time was 40.8 ±35.1 hours. 34.6 % of patients and 36.5 % of them had prolonged total and segmental colonic transit time. Conclusions: We found that prolonged total and segmental colonic transit time is common in patients with chronic idiopathic constipation. Incidence of constipation increases by aging, especially after 65 years of age [3, 5]. The general incidence of constipation is twice in women. It is more common in urban populations, lower socioeconomic classes, and in people with lower level of education [3, 9]. Symptoms would not be relieved by adding more fiber to the diet [15, 16]
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