Most persons have suffered from Constipation at one time or other, due to change of diet, travel, surgery, medication, stress or many other simple causes. These are temporary bouts and correct themselves when properly settled in.
Next in line is Constipation which is treatable with laxatives and changes in life style. The causes of this medium-term Constipation include a low-fiber and high-fat diet (dairy products, meats and eggs), not drinking enough liquids, excessive use of dehydrating liquids like coffee, tea, cola and alcohol, lack of exercise, sedentary lifestyle, usage of medications like antacids, antidepressants, antispasmodic drugs, iron tablets, anticonvulsant drugs, painkillers or prolonged medication for some other chronic condition which causes Constipation as a side effect, old age, pregnancy, abuse of laxatives and repeatedly refraining from having a bowel movement when the urge is there (for example, due to continuous travel or in order to avoid using public toilets).
Chronic Constipation is a long-term problem, which can be divided into diseases that directly affect the GI tract and cause the problem, and diseases elsewhere in the body, which cause Constipation. Problems of the GI tract include irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), chronic idopatic intestinal pseudo obstruction, intestinal obstruction (scar tissue, diverticulosis, tumors, colorectal stricture, Hirschsprung’s disease and cancer), colonic inertia and delayed transit (the colon muscles do not push the stool with normal strength and the movement of the stool is delayed), anorectal dysfunction (this condition prevents the rectal muscles from relaxing to pass the stool) and structural problems (anal fissures, hemorrhoids, strictures, tumors, rectal prolepses, fistulae, stenosis and rectede).
Most of the above problems need specialized equipment and tests. Disorders with other parts of body which cause Constipation are neurological diseases like multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s disease, stroke and spinal cord injuries, metabolic and endocrine problems like diabetes, uremia, hypercalemia, amyloidosis and scleroderma.
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Chronic Constipation
10 August 2010 8:30 PM |
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Constipation can be divided into three categories, by the time it takes to treat the problem. The short-term ones are caused by travel, diet, medication, surgery and other known causes. They mostly correct themselves. The medium-term ones are caused by low-fiber diet, low liquid consumption,...
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Constipation
10 August 2010 8:30 PM |
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The general guidelines as to what is generally considered Constipation include bowel movement less than three times a week, hard and dry pellet-like stools, straining too much to pass stools, painful bowel movement, feeling of bloated stomach, uneasiness and sluggishness and a feeling of incomplete...
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Infant Constipation
10 August 2010 8:30 PM |
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Concerning Infant Constipation, while all agree that hard, dry and painful stools are the symptoms of Constipation, the frequency of bowel movements is controversial amongst pediatricians. Normally a newborn infant does it quite frequently, eight to ten times a day for about four weeks until...
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Dog Constipation
10 August 2010 8:30 PM |
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A dog should defecate at least once in two days, with soft feces. The dog suffers from Constipation if it does not do so. Mechanical obstructions such as tumors, strictures and foreign bodies are the most probable causes of initial Constipation. The ingestion of large...
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Constipation Symptoms
10 August 2010 8:30 PM |
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Constipation is a subjective feeling of insufficient evacuation of the bowel, and dry or painful passing of stool. There is a popular misconception that it is a must to have at least one bowel movement every day. Medical facts do not support this view. There...
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Cat Constipation
10 August 2010 8:30 PM |
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Normally a cat has bowel movements once or twice a day. If the pet does not do it or strain to do it with hard feces, the cat is suffering from Constipation. It is a very common problem with cats and an occasional bout of...
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Constipation Remedy
10 August 2010 8:30 PM |
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Constipation describes situations wherein patients have difficulty moving their bowels. From most of the persons complaining of Constipation, only a very few have any serious underlying disease that needs specialized tests and treatment by a gastroenterologist. Educating the patient about worrying too much about bowel...
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Bleeding Hemorrhoids: A Common Ailment
10 August 2010 8:30 PM |
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Bleeding hemorrhoids are common and occur with both internal and external cases. Be sure to consult a doctor if you notice any bleeding from the rectum before, during or after a bowel movement – and especially any bleeding in the absence of a bowel movement....
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Colon Cancer Symptoms
10 August 2010 8:30 PM |
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Colon cancer is common, and often hard to detect. Colon cancer usually starts in the form of polyps in the large intestine. Unfortunately, this growth doesn’t manifest any visible symptoms. Most of the symptoms of colon cancer are difficult to notice, and are usually non-specific....
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Crohns Disease Treatment
10 August 2010 8:30 PM |
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Crohn’s disease is an inflammatory bowel disease that affects the intestines, causing ulcerations. It can also affect other parts of the digestive system. A chronic disease, it has no permanent cure, but symptoms can be treated as they occur, either with drugs, dietary changes, or...