What is Constipation

What is Constipation and Why it happens?

Constipation - a delay chair more than 48 hours. Constipation are frequent health problems and, according to medical statistics, occur most often in young children and the elderly. Many people have constipation while traveling, after stress and surgery. These constipation pass when returning to normal life and are not considered a disease. But if it are repeated often become habitual, you need a thorough diagnosis and treatment.

Causes of constipation are different:

• Diet, poor dietary fibers, combined with a small amount of fluid intake and a sedentary lifestyle;
• Diseases of the gastrointestinal tract (stomach ulcer, chronic pancreatitis, dysbiosis, syndrome irritable colon, colon tumors);
• Accumulation of hardened of fecal masses in the gut ("fecal stones");
• Diseases of the anus (anal fissures, hemorrhoids, paraproctitis), accompanied by severe pain and impeding bowel movement;
• Neurological disorders (stroke, Parkinson's disease, spinal cord injury and brain tumors, multiple sclerosis);
• Endocrine diseases (hypothyroidism, diabetes, and others.);
• Intake of certain medications;
• Depression;
• Also constipation often occur during pregnancy.

How to recognize the symptoms of Constipation?

In addition to the constipation, may bother pain and bloating. Facilitation comes after defecation or passing flatus.

Bloating at constipations may be accompanied by pain in the heart, heartbeat, decreased appetite, appears burping, unpleasant taste in the mouth. Often, there are headaches and pain in the muscles of the body. There is general nervousness, bad mood, upset sleep.

Constipation may be accompanied by changes in the skin: it becomes a pale yellowish color, flabby, loses its elasticity.

How dangerous?

Constipations must be taken seriously. In addition, it is often accompanied by severity of abdominal pain, bloating and pain during defecation, prolonged constipation may lead to dangerous complications such as intestinal obstruction, diverticulosis of the colon, rectal prolapse, hemorrhoids bleeding, etc.

Another argument in favor of visit to the doctor at constipations - the fact that the constipation are often the first sign of serious nervous, endocrine, gastrointestinal, and even cancer. Timely visit to a doctor will help identify the underlying disease and dramatically increase the chances of its successful outcome. Besides, in any case, only a doctor will be able to choose the best tactics to combat constipation.

The most severe complication of long-term constipation is a colon cancer. Believed that the the tumor develops under the influence of carcinogenic substances produced in the gut at stagnation its contents.

Diagnostics

Self struggle with constipation only complicate subsequent diagnosis of this condition and its proper treatment.

To clarify the causes of constipation are needed:

• Survey of the doctor-gastroenterologist or proctologist;
• Gynecological examination (for women);
• Irrigoscopy - X-ray of the intestine with preliminary filling of contrast agent using an enema;
• Colonoscopy - examination of the site of the intestine with the help of a special device (colonoscope), introduced into the anus.

In some cases, to decide how to treat constipation, the doctor may prescribe:

• Examination of feces;
• Study of motor function of the colon: the study of the rate of passage of contrast material through the digestive tract with the help of successive X-ray images;
• Ultrasonography of the abdomen;
• Consultation adjacent specialist (endocrinologist, neurologist, etc.).

Treatment of constipation

If persistent constipation caused by a tumor, surgery is necessary.

In other cases, the program of treatment of constipation includes:

1. Diet with inclusion of foods rich in plant fiber: fruits, vegetables; coarse black bread, bran and at least 2 liters of fluid a day. For the treatment and prevention of constipation used teas with medicinal plants. You need to eat regularly, at least 5 times a day.

2. Medicinal and cleansing enemas.

3. Gymnastics at constipations for normalization of intestinal motility.

4. Cancel drugs that weaken the reduction of the intestine.