Constipation
This is a pattern of a reduction in the number and weight of normal stools and often is associated with hardening of the texture of faeces. Its diagnosis is difficult to determine, given the subjective nature of the problem and realize the difficulty of normal bowel habit, clearly influenced by cultural and dietary differences. In a generally healthy population, the normal frequency of bowel movements between three weeks and three per day, which are expelled without difficulty in 75% of cases.
Defecation should be painless, requiring no exertion and complete. Under this criterion, we can define constipation as difficulty in defecation in more than 25% of cases and/or frequency less than three stools a week, sometimes associated with abdominal cramps and flatulence, following the expulsion Defective feces, usually a hard consistency and ball-shaped, which can be well below normal weight (250 grams daily).
Also, there may be other symptoms such as headache, irritability and poor appetite. The person suffering from constipation may present all or only some of these features.
Among the most common causes leading to this picture, acute or chronic, are:
The lack of high-fiber foods (vegetables, fruits, legumes, whole grains, fruits and nuts) in the daily diet coupled with a low intake of fluids makes the stool are of small volume and very hard.
The weakness of the abdominal wall muscles and the pelvic floor involved in defecation.
Taking certain medications (codeine in colds, pain relievers, sedatives, antidepressants and oral iron, etc.) that cause a decrease in intestinal peristalsis, which also occurs in diseases such as diabetes, hypothyroidism, Parkinson’s disease and natural processes pregnancy.
Genetic predisposition that some people with constipation.
Age: constipation is very common in people over 65 years due to alterations in intestinal transit, sometimes aggravated by immobility, polypharmacy and mental deterioration.
Anorectal diseases: fissures or hemorrhoids that cause painful defecation, which leads to avoidance of all bowel movements.
Irritable bowel disease, diverticular disease or other causes, including the absence of bowel training in people with stroke, muscle and neurological diseases, physically handicapped, travel, stress or depression that are associated with prolonged storage of the stool in the final portion of the colon.
Stenosis (narrowing of the bowel), colon polyps or colon cancer, situations that may obstruct the bowel.
In either case, treatment should be causal, ie depending on the root cause of the table (dietary, physical activity promotion, rehabilitation, bowel habits, hygiene standards and laxative therapy in specific cases, etc.) Regarding diet, it is obvious that it plays an important role not only in prevention but also treatment and resolution of symptoms.
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