Constipation

It is easy to identify this problem in someone who has a very regular bowel habit, be in once a day or once a week. Any deviation from the normal habit is constipation. However, it is more difficult to diagnose this in a person who has highly irregular bowel habits.

1. Possible causes:
   Lack of fluid or fibre in the diet.
2. Lack of a daily routine or specific time to empty the bowel.
3. Refusal to heed the normal urge to pass motion because of work commitments or tight time schedules.
4. Large piles which can obstruct the smooth passage of stools. The piles can sometime be felt as a lump at the anus.
5. Pregnancy in the later stages as the womb presses on the rectum.
6. Drugs like iron tables, antacids, codeine-based cough mixtures, or anti spasmodic which cause a mild degree of constipation.
7. Withdrawal of laxatives, especially in the elderly. This often aggravated by the lower fibre diet, the slower gut movement, decreased water intake and immobility of the elderly.
8. Cancer of the rectum which is more common among the older age group. A growth in the intestine may block the normal passage of stools. Telling symptoms are loss of weight and appetite together with blood in the stood.
9. Decreased activity of the thyroid gland. The symptoms include a low pulse rate, weight gain and hoarse voice.
10. Intestinal obstruction, which is rare. It is usually associated with a distended abdomen and vomiting.
    

WHAT YOU SHOULD DO

• Have a good diet of fruits and vegetables. These are high in fibres and provide for bulk in the faeces. Insoluble fibres are also available in sachets which can be taken daily. A high fibre and moderate protein diet will reduce the risk of colon cancer as well.
• Take a fermented milk drink, e.g. Yakult which contains the beneficial bacterial Lactobacilluscaseishirota strains, which will colonise the intestines as useful yet harmless bacteria. For those who pass hard pellet stools, especially young children and the elderly, a daily intake of the fermented milk drink will give stools of softer consistency.
• Take more fluids. Water helps to soften the stools. Prune juice and milk can also be taken as mild natural laxatives.
  

Constipation is the most common cause of colic in toddlers. The spasms in the abdomen may come all of a sudden and last for few minutes to even an hour. They may repeat a few times in a day. Constipation can cause vomiting in toddler. Toddler who other-wise except large amount of hard stools in the abdomen causes vomiting. When the constipation was cleared, the vomiting stopped immediately.

What should you do if you still have constipation despite a high fibre diet? You can take laxatives either syrup or tablet form. Enemas (stools softeners to be inserted through the anus) are very effective in softening the stools impacted at the anus. If these measures fail, stools can be removed by inserting a gloved finger into the anus to evacuate them. This is normally only needed if the stools are rock hard and impacted at the anal opening, despite giving an enema.
It is, however, important to determine the underlying cause of the constipation, rather than to just take laxatives.

Definition of constipation and information on how it develops, how it is diagnosed, and how it can be treated. more
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