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Constipation is not a disease itself but rather a symptom that, given its enormous rate, raises a number of visits to family and in the worst cases of digestive specialist.

It is difficult to define constipation as a problem subject to enormous individual variability or, which is, to a great subjectivity on what can be understood as a normal bowel rhythm.

We understand how depositional rate, the frequency with which we come to the service to be evacuated.

In the general healthy population, the depositional rate varies between 3 times a day and 3 times per week, making the defecation painlessly and without much effort in most cases, in addition to the end the feeling of complete evacuation.

If we accept this definition, we can then define constipation and stool output excessively dry, low or infrequent (less than 3 times per week).

Constipation can be casual, that is, that lasts a short period of time and is associated with certain diets or habits, or may be chronic if it persists for longer.

In turn this constipation may be secondary, or have a cause at its source (certain diseases cause obstipation, such as celiac disease, an underactive thyroid, diabetes mellitus &) or otherwise be idiopathic with no known cause direct justifies it, but in these cases is usually due to problems with bowel motility.

Constipation, also known as constipation is a common problem as it seems in today’s society, not being able to quantify the true frequency of problems. Nevertheless, they can say that is more common in females and in old age, perhaps related to multifactorial conditions.

What are its causes?
As we mentioned above, a distinction occasional constipation, as a result of certain diet, food, or smoking, chronic constipation is requiring a study by the medical practitioner. We must warn you usually play in unleashing multiple factors and is difficult to determine which one is more important.

Traditionally established pathological groups able to cause constipation, as are

Functional problems or bowel motility: idiopathic constipation, Hirschsprung’s disease.
Specific diseases that present with constipation, metabolic diseases such as diabetes, hypothyroidism, uremia, porphyria.
Mechanical obstacles in the stool, tumors, rectal stenosis.
Iatrogenic or side effects of drugs: codeine, antacids.
Abdominal radiograph.
Dietary problems: low-fiber diet
Other: Certain social habits, cultural, emotional: Physical inactivity, depression.

In many cases the only symptom is constipation but sometimes is accompanied with other secondary symptoms such as fullness, swelling of abdomen, flatulence, mild abdominal discomfort, headache, etc. Read the rest of this entry »