Chronic Intestinal Constipation Research Articles

The Value of Yogurt and Its Function in Health Care

Yogurt is a dairy product that is high in nutritional content. Yogurt is high in protein, calcium, vitamins, and probiotics, making it beneficial to the human body. Consuming Lactobacillus-containing yogurt can help to enhance the intestinal environment and preserve intestinal flora equilibrium. Yogurt contains micronutrients that can boost the human body's innate immune system and reverse immunological weakness. Yogurt contains lactic acid, which can help to eliminate dangerous germs and improve digestion. Yogurt's phytosterols can help decrease blood cholesterol levels. Drinking yogurt can also help lactose-intolerant patients avoid the symptoms of lactose intolerance. Yogurt is a potential cancer treatment because it inhibits carcinogens and decreases inflammation. Patients suffering from diarrhea can minimize the frequency and duration of their symptoms by consuming yogurt. Yogurt can also help with chronic intestinal constipation in youngsters and constipation in pregnant women, especially when combined with bifidobacterium longum. The improved serum levels of total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol after consuming probiotic-containing yogurt suggest that the yogurt could be used to treat nonalcoholic fatty liver disease. The nutritional value and health benefits of yogurt were summarized in this article.

Small bowel obstruction by enterolith in an elderly woman: a case study

Enteroliths are intraluminal calculi formed in the small bowel, commonly caused by chronic intestinal constipation associated with other comorbidities. We describe an atypical case of enterolithiasis diagnosed with computed tomography scan (CT) and which was confirmed during subsequent surgical resection. A 66-year-old female patient had a history of chronic constipation and use of laxatives and presented with abdominal pain. A CT scan showed heterogeneous annular formations with a hyperdense halo and a hypodense center within the loops of small bowel. A segment was resected for enterectomy, allowing several yellowish stony structures to be identified, corresponding to enteroliths.

Incidence of Intestinal Constipation During the COVID-19 Pandemic Period in Medical Students from a Private Institution in São Paulo, SP

Abstract Introduction Chronic intestinal constipation (CIC) presents an incidence of 2.6 to 30.7% in the overall population and due to the social reality imposed by the coronavirus pandemic, some behavior changes in the Brazilian population occurred that might or not be associated with alterations of CIC prevalence. Objective To assess CIC incidence in medical students before and during the COVID-19 pandemic in Brazil in a private higher educational institution in the city of São Paulo, state of São Paulo. Methods Clinic data were collected through Google Forms software from the same students seeking to analyze the variables before (year of 2019) and during the coronavirus pandemic. The data were: age, sex, body mass index, constipation referred in a subjective way and confirmed through the ROME III criteria, feces consistency and anxiety and/or depression during the pandemic. Results A total of 126 medical students from a private higher education institution from São Paulo, SP were included. The average age was 22.9 years old, 70.6% were female and the average BMI was 23.3 kg/m2. Regarding the ROME III criteria, 32.5% presented > 2 in 2019 and 42.1% during the pandemic. Concerning the feces consistency, 31.75 and 35.71% presented dry Bristol 1 feces or in both periods, respectively. Conclusion It was observed an increase in the prevalence of chronic intestinal constipation in medical students from a private higher education institution from São Paulo, state of São Paulo, during the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as dryness in the feces.

Constipação Crônica: Tratamento com Ventosaterapia - Estudo de Caso

Background: Constipation is a symptom defined by the ocurrence of any manifestation such as ificulty or pain when evacuationg and bowel movements less than three times a week. In recent years, chronic intestinal constipation has been considered a public heath problem due to its high prevalence. There are several types of constipation among the functional one stands out which is characterized by the absence of defined organic causes, usually treated with the ingestion of fibers, liquids and physical exercises. Conventional methods with diets and medicines are not always sufficient. Objective: Analyzing the effects of treatment with ventosatherapy in severe constipation. Methods: A questionnaire was prepared and applied to the person responsible for the municipal health department of each municipality. Results: Clinical case study with a 28-year-old volunteer patient with severe constipation. The technique used in the study was sliding cupping therapy. One session a week was held for 13 weeks. Conclusion: The symptoms of constipation disappeared in the fourth session contiuing with a daily bowel movement until the end of the intervention. The sliding method therapy technique was effective in the treatment of severe constipation.

Polyethylene glycol 4000 without electrolytesin the treatment of functional chronic intestinal constipation in children: retrospective analysis of 70 patients

Polyethylene glycol 4000 without electrolytesin the treatment of functional chronic intestinal constipation in children: retrospective analysis of 70 patients

Gastrointestinal disorders in Down syndrome.

Down syndrome is the most common human chromosomal disorder. Among clinical findings, one constant concern is the high prevalence of gastrointestinal system alterations. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of gastrointestinal disorders at a Down syndrome outpatient clinic during a 10-year follow-up period. Data from medical files were retrospectively reviewed from 1,207 patients. Gastrointestinal changes occurred in 612 (50.7%). The most prevalent disorder was chronic intestinal constipation. Intestinal parasite occurred in 22% (mainly giardiasis), gastroesophageal reflux disease in 14%, digestive tract malformations occurred in 5%: 13 cases of duodenal atresia, 8 of imperforate anus, 4 annular pancreases, 2 congenital megacolon, 2 esophageal atresias, 2 esophageal compression by anomalous subclavian and 1 case of duodenal membrane. We had 38/1,207 (3.1%) patients with difficulty in sucking and only three with dysphagia that resolved before the second year of life. Peptic ulcer disease, celiac disease, and biliary lithiasis were less prevalent with 3% each. Awareness of the high prevalence of gastrointestinal disorders promotes outstanding clinical follow-up as well as adequate development and greater quality of life for patients with Down syndrome and their families.

Diagnosis and treatment of constipation: a clinical update based on the Rome IV criteria

The aim of this study was to evaluate the published professional association guidelines regarding the current diagnosis and treatment of functional intestinal constipation in adults and to compare those guidelines with the authors’ experience to standardize actions that aid clinical reasoning and decision-making for medical professionals. A literature search was conducted in the Medline/PubMed, Scielo, EMBASE and Cochrane online databases using the following terms: chronic constipation, diagnosis, management of chronic constipation, Roma IV and surgical treatment. Conclusively, chronic intestinal constipation is a common condition in adults and occurs most frequently in the elderly and in women. Establishing a precise diagnosis of the physiopathology of functional chronic constipation is complex and requires many functional tests in refractory cases. An understanding of intestinal motility and the defecatory process is critical for the appropriate management of chronic functional intestinal constipation, with surgery reserved for cases in which pharmacologic intervention has failed. The information contained in this review article is subject to the critical evaluation of the medical specialist responsible for determining the action plan to be followed within the context of the conditions and clinical status of each individual patient.

Pediatric functional constipation treatment withBifidobacterium-containing yogurt: A crossover, double-blind, controlled trial

To evaluate the treatment of pediatric functional chronic intestinal constipation (FCIC) with a probiotic goat yogurt. A crossover double-blind formula-controlled trial was carried out on 59 students (age range: 5-15 years) of a public school in Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil, presenting a FCIC diagnostic, according to Roma III criteria. The students were randomized in two groups to receive a goat yogurt supplemented with 10(9) colony forming unit/mL Bifidobacterium longum (B. longum) (probiotic) daily or only the yogurt for a period of 5 wk (formula). Afterwards, the groups were intercrossed for another 5 wk. Defecation frequency, stool consistency and abdominal and defecation pain were assessed. Both treatment groups demonstrated improvement in defecation frequency compared to baseline. However, the group treated with probiotic showed most significant improvement in the first phase of the study. An inversion was observed after crossing over, resulting in a reduction in stool frequency when this group was treated by formula. Probiotic and formula improved stool consistency in the first phase of treatment, but the improvement obtained with probiotic was significantly higher (P = 0.03). In the second phase of treatment, the group initially treated with probiotic showed worsening stool consistency when using formula. However, the difference was not significant. A significant improvement in abdominal pain and defecation pain was observed with both probiotic and formula in the first phase of treatment, but again the improvement was more significant for the group treated with B. longum during phase I (P < 0.05). When all data of the crossover study were analyzed, significant differences were observed between probiotic yogurt and yogurt only for defecation frequency (P = 0.012), defecation pain (P = 0.046) and abdominal pain (P = 0.015). An improvement in defecation frequency and abdominal pain was observed using both supplemented and non-supplemented yogurt, but an additional improvement with B. longum supplementation was obtained.

Colectomias no tratamento cirúrgico da constipação intestinal crônica: report of four cases

INTRODUÇÃO: A constipação intestinal é um distúrbio do trato digestório em que a atividade intestinal está reduzida, assim como a freqüência de evacuações; associada a fezes secas e endurecidas, acumuladas devido ao longo tempo de permanência no cólon. OBJETIVO: Avaliar quatro pacientes submetidos à colectomia total para o tratamento da constipação intestinal. MÉTODO: Estudo retrospectivo realizado por meio do levantamento de prontuários de pacientes submetidos à ressecção cirúrgica do cólon no tratamento da constipação intestinal crônica no período de 1998 a 2006. RESULTADOS: Em nossa casuística, que envolve o HUT e uma paciente operada no Hospital São Lucas de Taubaté, quatro pacientes foram submetidos à colectomia total para o tratamento da constipação intestinal crônica. Todos eram do sexo feminino, com mais de 30 anos de idade e apresentavam uma evolução do quadro há mais de 10 anos. Os resultados obtidos foram considerados satisfatórios por três pacientes, apesar de uma delas evacuar seis ou mais vezes ao dia. A quarta paciente referiu permanência do quadro, evacuando uma vez a cada sete dias, em média. CONCLUSÃO: O tratamento cirúrgico é uma alternativa nos casos crônicos incapacitantes, refratários a outras formas de tratamento. Os pacientes com indicação cirúrgica devem antes ser submetidos a uma evolução fisiológica e investigação clínica completa, para confirmação do quadro de inércia colônica.

Expanding the phenotypes of the Pro56SerVAPBmutation: Proximal SMA with dysautonomia

The phenotype of 16 members of a family affected by a late-onset, dominant, progressive, motor and autonomic disorder is described. The VAPB (Pro56Ser) mutation was detected in Brazilian families with different phenotypes of motor neuron disorders. In this family, proximal and axial muscle weakness and atrophy, associated with abdominal protrusion, defined the motor phenotype. Death occurred in 10-15 years due to respiratory insufficiency. Tone and tendon reflexes were decreased and a distal tremor was common. Sensation was preserved. Autonomic abnormalities were also present, including choking, chronic intestinal constipation, sexual dysfunction, and sudomotor abnormalities, and on nerve morphology there was involvement of unmyelinated fibers. Electromyography disclosed ongoing denervation and reinnervation. Isolated dysfunction of motor and autonomic neurons is unusual among the spinal muscular atrophies. On this basis, this condition seems to represent a new category of disease.

Recurrent abdominal pain at the Pediatric Gastroenterology Outpatient Clinic

To analyze the features of pediatric patients with recurrent abdominal pain, identify the main ethiologic diagnoses and their clinical and laboratorial differences. We studied the medical records from 167 children attended at a pediatric gastroenterology outpatient clinic. After analysis of the entire sample, the patients were divided in groups according to their diagnosis. Those patients with more than one diagnosis were arranged into a subgroup named multiple diagnosis. Statistical analysis was performed with Kruskall-Wallis test for numeric variables and chi-square test for non-numeric variables. The patients age ranged from 3 to 17 years (median 9), the number of consultations ranged from 1 to 16 (median 2) and the period of attendance ranged from 1 to 37 months (median 4). The pain was mainly periumbilical (35.8%) and crampy-like (76.1%). The main diagnoses found were chronic intestinal constipation (58.6%), intestinal parasitosis (22.8%), and peptic disease (20.4%). In 34 patients (20.3%) we were not able to establish the diagnosis. Among the groups, there was statistically significant difference in age (p=0.00003), number of consultations (p=0.00004), period of attendance (p=0.00001), kind of pain (p=0.0003), intestinal habit (p=0.0002), stool features (p=0.0001), and evolution (p=0.0006). The authors conclude that finding organic disease in patients with recurrent abdominal pain is much more common than it was expected. The pediatrician always has to consider the possibility of multifactorial origin for these patients' complaints.

Evaluation of Long-Term Results of Surgical Correction of Stress Urinary Incontinence

A total of 109 patients submitted to surgery for the correction of urinary stress incontinence (USI) by two different techniques, i.e. anterior colporrhaphy (group I, n = 57) when cystocele grade II/III was present, and Burch procedure (group II, n = 52) when cystocele grade I was present, were reevaluated an average of 5 years after surgery (range: 54-66 months). The curve constructed with the reevaluation data showed a sharp superiority of the Burch technique in terms of correction of USI and associated genital prolapses. There was a progressive recurrence rate that stabilized at 5 years, with values of 78.9% in group I and 40% in group II. Anterior colporrhaphy was ineffective for the correction of any of these parameters in group I. The data clearly show the need to improve the presurgical diagnostic methods for the selection of patients that will benefit from treatment: detailed history of the current disease and auxiliary tests such as Q-tip test, transvaginal ultrasound, and urodynamic study. Other factors were associated with ineffective treatment in both groups, such as hypoestrogenism (20/109), excessive weight gain (19/109) and chronic intestinal constipation and/or coughing present in 36 patients, with recurrence in 28 of them.