CONSTIPATION
Constipation is a condition in which stools become hard, dry, and difficult to pass, and bowel movements don’t happen very often.
After the common cold and cough, constipation is one of the most common self-claimed problems in the world where many or most people are affected at some time in their life. Constipation can be chronic, sometimes severe, and has a significant, even debilitating, effect on the quality of life. Many patients suffer in silence and try to self-medicate.
CAUSES FOR CONSTIPATION
There are many causes of constipation –
1)Common lifestyle causes of constipation include:
- Eating foods low in fiber.
- Not drinking enough water.
- Not getting enough exercise.
- Changes in your regular routine, such as traveling or eating or going to bed at different times.
- Eating large amounts of milk or cheese.
- Stress or Depression
2)Medications that can cause constipation include:
- Certain medications for pain, antidepression, blood pressure, medicines that contain lots of calcium and iron, and seizure medications.
- Chronic over-the-counter laxative abuse leads to electrolyte disturbances, dehydration, and mineral deficiencies thereby causing chronic constipation
3)Medical and health conditions that can cause constipation include:
- Hypothyroid, Diabetes, Uraemia, Hypercalcemia, Electrolyte imbalances
- Colorectal cancer.
- Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).
- Diverticular disease.
- Neurologic disorders include spinal cord injury, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s disease, and stroke.
- Multiple organ diseases, such as amyloidosis, lupus, and scleroderma.
4)Pregnancy:
- due to the increase in progesterone hormones, the intestinal muscle relaxes thereby causing food and waste to move slower through your system.
SYMPTOMS
- Passing of stools fewer than three times a week
- Having hard and lumpy stools
- Straining to pass out stools
- Feeling like you are not able to completely empty the stool from the rectum
- Seeing blood in stool due to bruising of the anus
- Feeling of small swelling over the anus while cleaning post defecation like piles
COMPLICATIONS
- Swollen veins in your anus (haemorhoids). Straining to have a bowel movement may cause swelling in the veins in and around your anus.
- Torn skin in your anus (anal fissure). A large or hard stool can cause tiny tears in the anus.
- Stool that can’t be expelled (faecal impaction). Chronic constipation may cause an accumulation of hardened stool that gets stuck in your intestines.
- Intestine that protrudes from the anus (rectal prolapse). Straining to have a bowel movement can cause a small amount of the rectum to stretch and protrude from the anus.
- An anal fistula is a tunnel that runs from inside the anus to somewhere in the skin around it. It usually follows an infection that didn’t heal due to inflammation caused by constipation
PREVENTION
The following can help you avoid developing constipation.
- Include plenty of high-fiber foods in your diet, including beans, vegetables, fruits, whole-grain cereals, and bran.
- Eat fewer foods with low amounts of fiber such as processed foods, dairy, and meat products.
- Drink plenty of fluids 3-4L/day
- Stay as active as possible and try to get regular exercise.
- Try to manage stress.
- Don’t ignore the urge to pass stool.
- Make sure children who begin to eat solid foods get plenty of fiber in their diet
People in India are often shy about talking about their bowel movements. An issue as serious as constipation is never talked about openly, people are mostly embarrassed to discuss it in the open or make jokes about it. Constipation is a common digestive issue in which people of different age groups suffer from infrequent bowel movements or face tremendous difficulty in passing stool and develop complications. As per a recent survey, about 33 percent of the adult Indian population is suffering from the condition, with Kolkata topping the numbers followed by Chennai.
DR. CHARLES MANO SYLUS,
MBBS, MS(Gen Surg), DIP(Lap Surg), FIAGES,FALS(Colo-Rectal), MHSc (Diab)
Consultant General and Laparoscopic Surgeon
