Abstract
Background and AimsAlthough a range of guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of chronic constipation has been carried out, there was very little information about the understanding on constipation. The aim of the present study was to estimate the understanding of constipation symptoms and the diagnosis and management of constipation by clinical physicians in China.MethodsParticipants were physicians and researchers in the field of gastroenterology in China who were scheduled to attend the National Conference on gastrointestinal motility(Constipation). Based on the recommendation of the Rome Foundation Board, the self-reported questionnaire was constructed.FindingsAlthough most of the opinions on symptoms of constipation were consistent, there were still some differences. Opinions on the Bristol stool form during constipation were discordant, 34% of the doctors thought that it was type 1 and type 2, while 46%of the doctors suggested that type 3 should also be considered constipation. There was no significant difference between them(P = 0.05); We investigated the interpretation on the duration of defecation prolonged, 27% of the doctors suggested it should be longer than 10 minutes, 22% of the doctors suggested it should be longer than 20 minutes, and other 22% of the doctors suggested it should be time of defecation became longer compared to previously bowel habits, there was no significant difference among them(P = 0.38).Only 36% of the doctors thought that psychotherapy was most important in the treatment of severe constipation, while 37% of the doctors thought that medication treatment was most important in the treatment of severe constipation, there was no significant difference between them(P = 0.895).ConclusionWe were able to obtain valuable information about current views on symptoms of constipation and the diagnosis and treatment of constipation among Chinese doctors. Although most of the opinions were consistent there were still some differences. This study indicated that in practice in China there was a need for further study on the role of constipation symptoms and there may also be a need for better establishment of consensus guidelines for constipation.
Highlights
The prevalence of constipation ranged from 2% to 34%[1,2,3,4,5]
This study indicated that in practice in China there was a need for further study on the role of constipation symptoms and there may be a need for better establishment of consensus guidelines for constipation
41%of the doctors thought that straining as force should be increased 26%-50% (Table 1), which was significantly higher than other questions (P
Summary
The prevalence of constipation ranged from 2% to 34%[1,2,3,4,5]. Prevalence rates of constipation were different with different definitions[5, 13,14,15]. Presence of constipation symptoms was different in different studies[5,16,17,18]. It was reported that presence of symptoms was different with different definitions [13]. Prevalence rates, categorizations and treatment effects of constipation were different with the discordant understanding of constipation. The aim of the present study was to estimate the understanding of constipation symptoms and the diagnosis and management of constipation by clinical physicians in China.
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