Pediatria pre prax 6/2005

CHRONIC CONSTIPATION

Constipation is a disease with higher prevalence in children than expected. The dietary habits, limited physical activity and psychosocial problems have contributed significantly to this problem. Defecation difficulties in children are mainly of functional character and often times present only with chronic or recurrent abdominal pain without an early diagnosis because information from parents is frequently inaccurate or even false. The lifestyle of modern families does not enable to follow “details” concerning frequency of bowel movements and problems with defecation. If the constipation is diagnosed and treated, mistakes leading to a recurrence of the problem frequently occur. Without an adequate education of the child and the family and without a sufficiently long and complex therapy including pharmacological therapy and life style precautions (change of daily routine, increase of physical activity, prevention of suppression of defecation reflex), adjustment of diet, and solution of psychosocial problems, a permanent treatment effect cannot be expected.

Keywords: chronic constipation, normal defecation frequency, infantile dyschezia.