Via practica 2/2006

DIFERENTIAL DIAGNOSIS OF CONSTIPATION – CAUSES AND POSSIBILITIES OF TREATMENT

Constipation is a common gastrointestinal complaint in clinical practice. Constipation is symptomnot a disease.The causes of constipatio are many and are mostly poorly understood. The most common causes of constipation are: functional constipation or slow transit constipation, irritable bowel syndrome, outlet obstruction. For diagnosis and differential diagnosis is basic history taking, physical examination and rectal palpation, stool analysis (especially occult blood tests). In patients over 50 years and with alarm symptoms, it should be done endoscopic or radiological examination and in some causes the special examination (electomyography, colonic transit time, manometry). First step in the treatment of constipation is change lifestyle and diet, stop medications which cause constipation and start with bulk forming agents Only last step in therapy of constipation are laxatives, prefferably osmotic laxatives.

Keywords: constipation, diferential diagnosis of constipation, treatment.