2020 Volume 56 Issue 4 Pages 351-357
Purpose: We investigated the patient background, treatment strategy and results in patients with chronic functional constipation.
Method: Cases of chronic functional constipation managed in our hospital from January to December 2018 were collected and reviewed on the basis of medical records.
Results: The study population included 48 patients (male, n = 26; female, n = 22); 16 cases were initial visits for consultation; 32 were revisits. The age at initial hospital consultation was 42 months. The age at the onset of constipation was 7.5 months, and the mean duration of sickness was 30.8 months. The presence/absence of self-defecation, defecation suppression and encopresis at the first visit was observed in 26/22, 38/10 and 16/32 patients, respectively. At the onset of symptoms, patients with encopresis were significantly older than those without encopresis (p = 0.027). At the first hospital visit, patients with encopresis were significantly older than those without encopresis (p = 0.0001). The duration of constipation in patients with encopresis was significantly longer than that of patients without encopresis (p = 0.017). The prevalence of developmental disorders was significantly higher in patients with encopresis than in those without encopresis (p = 0.00364). Defecation suppression improved in 30 of 38 patients (78.9%), but encopresis remained in 10 of 16 patients (62.5%). Dairy restriction was effective in 25 of 35 (71.4%) patients.
Conclusion: Patients with encopresis were older at the onset of symptoms and the duration of constipation was relatively long; thus, early treatment may improve their symptoms. In addition to conventional constipation treatment, cooperation with pediatric neurologists is necessary for their management.
