Constipation – Symptoms Causes treatment Remedies and Complications

Constipation is a problem of digestion where an infected person facing difficult to pass stool. In most of the cases, it occurs because the colon has absorbed too much extra water from the food which is in the colon.

Food moves slowly to the digestive tract and colon absorbs more water from it. Therefore, the feces become hard and dry. Whenever this happens with the affected person, then that will be very painful and difficult to empty the bowels.

Today, in this health article I am going to share the main causes of constipation and how to prevent from it and how to treat it.

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Some Fast Facts about Constipation

Now, I am going to share a few key points about constipation, which will help you to understand this article more easily.

Constipation mostly happens because of too much water is absorbed in the stomach from food.

It also includes a certain type of medication, age factor and also because of physical inactivity.

Constipation also happens because of changes in lifestyle.

Laxatives help in constipation but always use them in the last stage only.

Symptoms of Constipation

Most of the time only men’s are suffering from constipation.

A high rich fiber in the diet helps in the prevention of Constipation.

Finding difficulty when passing stools and straining.

Passing lesser stools than normal is also a sign of Constipation.

Some other Symptoms of Constipation

Cramps in Stomach

Stomach Ache

Losing Appetite

Feeling nausea and Bloating

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Causes of Symptoms

Constipation happens when our colon starts absorbing too much water. It happens because of the muscles in the colon are decreasing poorly or slowly. It causes the stool to move slow and lose more water.

The most common causes of Constipation are:-

• Less fiber in Diet:-

Those peoples who are consuming a good amount of fiber in their food are naturally suffering lesser from constipation than those people who are not adding much fiber in their food.

Adding good quality fiber foods like whole grain, fruits, and vegetables are important for the prevention of constipation.

Fiber elements help in promoting the movement of bowel and it prevents from the problem of constipation.

Avoid low fiber foods like meat, cheese, eggs, and fried and oily foods.

• Physical Inactivity:-

If you are busy in your work and in business and not doing physical activities, then there are greater chances that you can be a victim of constipation soon. Physical activities help and increase the metabolism high which makes the process in the body happen more quickly.

Old peoples have more chances and risk of getting a victim of constipation as per compare to younger ones. Physically active people have fewer chances to become a victim of constipation as per compare to inactive peoples.

• Medicines/Medications:-

  There are a few medicines who can cause the problem of constipation are:

– Antidepressants including imipramine (Tofranil) and amitriptyline (Elavil).

–  Diuretics including chlorothiazide (Diuril).

–  Aluminum-containing antacids including Basaljel and Amphojel.

– Anticonvulsants including the phenytoin (Dilantin) and carbamazepine (Tegretol) iron supplements.

– Narcotic (opioid) pain drugs which include oxycodone (Percocet), codeine (Tylenol) and hydromorphone (Dilaudid).

– Calcium channel blocking drugs which include nifedipine (Procardia) and diltiazem (Cardizem).

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• Pregnancy:-

There are some hormonal changes happens in pregnancy and that can affect women’s to constipation. Also, the uterus may restrict the intestine and slow down the passage of food.

• Milk:-

Consuming dairy products and milk can cause constipation in some peoples.

• Aging:-

There is an increase in slow metabolism in older peoples which results in the less intestinal activities. Muscles in the digestive tract start not working properly as they worked before.

• Irritable Bowel Syndrome:-

Those people who are suffering from the problem of irritable bowel syndrome get constipation much more often as per compare to the rest of the population.

• Changes in routine life:-

A person who travels a lot changes their normal routine level. This put a bad effect on his/her health and also affect the digestive system and sometimes it results in constipation. Not taking a meal at the same time everyday or going to bed for sleep at different times and wake up at a different time or going to toilet different time all rise the risk of constipation in that person.

• Over usage of Laxatives:-

Believing that going to the toilet at least once a day is totally wrong. However, to make sure that this happens to them, they take laxatives without asking or consulting doctor about this.

Yes, laxative helps in the movement of bowel. But using laxatives on regular basis allow the body to get used to it and using it continuously increase the chances of using it regularly because than passing stool without laxative is not possible for the body.

Laxatives can form a habit and when someone depends on it then there is a serious risk of constipation when they stop taking it.

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• Not drinking enough water:-

Drinking more water or fluid is not enough if you are already suffering from the problem of constipation. But, drinking plenty of water regularly can reduce the risk of constipation.

Using soft drinks and sodas which contains caffeine can increase the dehydration which can be worst in the problem of constipation. Alcohol, a wine will also dehydrate your body and avoid them would be great for those are suffering from the problem of constipation.

• Not going to the toilet when needed:-

If someone ignores the importance of bowel movement, then the urge can moderately go away until the person no longer feels the need to go. The longer person delays it, the harder and drier stool will come.

• Problem with the rectum or colon:-

Tumors can restrict or compress the passage and that can also cause constipation. Also, diverticulosis, scar tissue and abnormal narrowing of the colon or rectum are also known as a colorectal structure.

People those are suffering from Hirschsprung disease are susceptible to constipation (defect by birth in which some nerve cells are absent in the large intestine).

• Some Diseases and Conditions:-

Diseases which influence to slow down the movement of feces through the rectum, anus or colon can cause the problem of constipation.

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These include the following:-

Systemic diseases:

These are diseases that affect a number of tissues and organs or affect the whole body, they include scleroderma, lupus, and amyloidosis.

Endocrine and metabolic conditions:

Diabetes, Uremia, Hypercalcemia, Hypothyroidism, and Poor Glycemic Control.

Neurological disorders:

Multiple Sclerosis (MS), stroke, Parkinson’s disease, spinal cord injuries, and chronic idiopathic intestinal pseudo-obstruction can also lead a person to the problem of constipation.

Cancer:

Constipation also occurs in some people with the problem of cancer; mainly it happens due to pain, chemotherapy, and medications. Also, if a tumor squeezes or blocks affected a person’s digestive system.

Treatment of Constipation:-

We see in so many cases, constipation resolves itself without even need or any type of treatment or risk to the health.

Constipation can come back if you do not change your lifestyle like doing exercise, change in food, adding more fruit and vegetables, eating more fiber-filled meals and eating more water.

Normally, laxatives treat constipation mostly successfully, but you should use it carefully and only use when it is very necessary. Still, if you find difficulty in passing stools than you can take the prescribed medicine too.

It is very much important to understand the cause of constipation that is there any underlying health condition or illness. That would be great if you write your daily position of constipation and make a record of stool characteristics, bowel movement and some other factors which can help both the patient and the doctor for better treatment.

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Use these laxatives only as the last choice:

Stimulants:

Stimulants make the muscles in the intestines contract rhythmically. These include Dulcolax, Correctol, and Senokot.

Lubricants:

Lubricants help the movement towards the downside of the stool to colon more easily. These include mineral oil and Fleet.

Stool softeners:

These moisten the stool. Stool softeners include Surfak and Colace.

Fiber supplements:

Fiber supplements are perhaps the safest laxatives. They are also called the bulk laxatives. They include Metamucil, FiberCon, Serutan, Konsyl, and Citrucel and also should be taken with plenty of water. If you want to buy laxatives in bulk, then there is an excellent selection available online with thousands of customer reviews.

Osmotics:

These facilitate the movement of fluids through the colon. These include Cephulac, Miralax, and Sorbitol.

Saline laxatives:

Saline laxatives draw the water into the colon and it also includes milk of magnesia.

Chloride channel activators:

These require a prescription from the doctor and include lubiprostone (Amitiza).

5-HT-4 agonists:

HT-4 agonists increase the secretion of fluids in the patient intestines and speed up the rate at which food passes through the colon. It includes Prucalopride.

If still, constipation does not respond to any of the given treatment, as the last chance, surgery would be beneficial to remove the part of the colon which may be undertaken. In this procedure, the segment of the anal rectum or sphincter which causes constipation will be removed.

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Natural Remedies for Constipation:-

Natural remedies

There are a few ways to ease the symptoms of constipation without using medication.

These include:

Increasing fiber intake:

People those are suffering from constipation should eat between 20 to 30 grams (g) of fiber each day. Fresh vegetables and fruits and fortified cereals have high fiber content which can help in this problem.

Drinking water:

Drinking lots of water can help to dehydration of the body.

Bulking agents:

Adding bulking agents into your diet can help in softening the stools and can make them pass easily. One of the examples of bulking agents is wheat bran.

Regular exercise:

Regular exercise can help to make bodily processes more regular, including the passing of stools easily.

Routine:

Having a place and time of a day where you can spend some time to visit the bathroom and pass the stool without pushing it hard.

Avoiding holding in stools:

Responding to your body’s natural impulse to pass stools when they happen is key to reducing the impact of constipation.

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Elevate your feet:

Place your feet in the short platforms such as a step, and make sure that the knees are above your hip level while you are going to pass stools. This can easily reduce the Constipation.

Homeopathic remedies:

While their effectiveness is still in dispute as some researches and studies have says that the treatments for constipation provided by homeopathic doctors can be successful. These include lycopodium, Calcarea carbonica, nux vomica, silica, and Bryonia.

Consult with your doctor about the best course of action if the symptoms are not responding to natural or home remedies. 

Complications about Constipation:-

Constipation can be uncomfortable but it is not a life-threatening problem. any hoe, the severe Constipation problem can develop some more serious condition, which includes:

– Constipation, or swollen, inflamed blood vessels of veins in the rectum.

– Anal fissure or a small tear around the anus.

– Rectal bleeding after continually straining to pass stools.

– Fecal impaction, in which the dried stool collects in the anus and rectum, which leading to an obstruction in the path of the stool would take to leave the body.

Dealing with constipation before it becomes one of these conditions can prevent further discomfort.

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