Recent insight on chronic constipation disease: a review of literature

Abstract

Chronic constipation (CC) is a condition in which person feels extreme difficulty in defecation or passage of stools. Generally, when a person defecates less than three time in a week it is considered as constipation and when this condition prolongs, it becomes chronic constipation. There are various factors which are responsible for this condition such as a low fiber diet, insufficient intake of water, poor lifestyle choices, slow colonic passage, and Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) can all contribute to CC. Other factors that can cause CC include a low economic status, poor education, lack of physical activities, and medications. The aim of this review is to provide a comprehensive overview of the disease by detailing the causes, mechanisms, diagnosis, and treatment options. A comprehensive and systematic search has been conducted using PubMed, Medline, and Google Scholar. The main set of keywords used for the literature search was ‘Constipation’, ‘treatment’, ‘management’, ‘diagnosis’ and ‘clinical presentation’. The first approach for screening the article was the title of the publication. Then the abstract of the selected articles was read as a second step in screening the article. The results of this review indicate that CC causes are multi-factorial, and the treatment approaches depend on the underlying cause. CC is a common disease with a global prevalence of 14%. This disease is more common in older people and women. It can be managed by changes in diet, lifestyle and if necessary, it can be treated with medications and surgery.