Constipation - The worry is not for anyone (Part 1)

PART 1: SYMPTOMS AND CAUSES Constipation is a fairly common phenomenon in our country today, almost everyone has experienced constipation at some point in their life. Constipation is often a sign of many diseases that patients have. Constipation occurs in all ages, from infants to the elderly, and has many causes. Prolonged constipation makes patients have headaches, insomnia, bloating, gas, children have poor appetite, cry, adults do not eat well, do not want to eat, so they always feel tired, bored, sad and depressed. reduced health. If left untreated for a long time, it will lead to some diseases that are difficult to completely cure, and can even turn into cancer, such as hemorrhoids, colonic aneurysms (usually in children), anal fissures, infections. anus, rectum, etc.
SYMPTOMS
- Usually when constipated, the patient has a bowel movement less than three times per week, in more severe cases, sometimes less than once a week. Patients are sad but can not defecate, sometimes see abdominal cramps, dry, black or lumpy stools. If you want to defecate, you have to push hard, sometimes even fresh blood, burning pain due to hemorrhoids and anal fissures. Most cases find that after having a bowel movement, they still have the feeling of wanting to continue and feel that there is still stool in the intestine, not comfortable. In children, there are changes in the number of bowel movements by age, solid and dry stools, in addition, there are other signs such as children having difficulty in defecation, pain, crying when defecating, children afraid to defecate, sitting on tiptoe, uncomfortable defecation posture. In addition, pregnant women, new born babies and the elderly are also the most susceptible to constipation and difficult to treat.
CAUSE
There are many causes of constipation, some of which are direct causes such as a medical condition of the digestive system; There are indirect causes and influencing factors that change the physiological function of the digestive system. In general, it can be grouped into several groups of causes, including:
- Due to certain physical diseases in the digestive tract such as congenital megacolon in young children, colon tumors, gastrointestinal tumors... diseases outside the gastrointestinal tract such as tumors, cancers of some other parts of the body causing compression such as liver cancer, kidney tumors, ovarian tumors, etc. Systemic diseases such as hypothyroidism, hypercalcemia, decreased function thyroid function, lead poisoning, some neurological diseases such as Parkinson's, mental illness... cause a lot of worry, anger, sadness. For pregnant women mainly due to hormonal changes, the insertion of the fetus into the colon affects the contraction and circulation. In the elderly due to reduced spasm of the gastrointestinal tract, on the other hand, they often suffer from diseases such as cardiovascular disease, blood pressure, etc. shows signs of constipation..
- Due to nutrition: people who suffer from constipation are mainly due to an unreasonable diet, especially those who eat less fiber. Dietary fiber is an effective aid to the digestive process and increases gastric contraction, stimulates gastrointestinal motility, softens stools and is a place for beneficial organisms to nest and live. . These microorganisms, in the process of symbiosis in the intestines, will produce enzymes to help food digest, at the same time compete with harmful microorganisms, help the body fight and eliminate harmful microorganisms. harmful to the digestive system to be healthy. Therefore, people with a high diet are also prone to constipation such as pregnant women, giving birth, the elderly who are afraid to eat fiber, young children who are undernourished, malnourished children, using milk other than breast-feeding or eating. Improper weaning diet. A survey showed that up to 29%-48% of children with constipation are due to fussy eating and 47% have poor appetite and 25-%-35% of patients come to the gastroenterology-nutrition clinic. problems with constipation. (first) .
- Drink less water: In the human body, water accounts for a high percentage of 60%-70% of body weight, the proportion of water in children is even higher, especially in infants. During the digestive process, water plays an important role in transporting waste products to the excretory organs to be eliminated from the body, making food easier to digest. This amount of water is partly provided by meals, partly by metabolism in the body and through oral administration. Water needs vary greatly by age, especially for children, and by physical condition, disease, and weather.
- Due to psychology and living habits: this is one of the favorable factors for being easily constipated. Habit of refraining from defecation, some occupations that require sitting for long periods of time, such as tailors, office workers, and drivers. The main reason is due to heavy work pressure, excessive psychological stress, while they are sedentary and do not do sports, especially for pregnant women and the elderly. For the children whose living conditions have changed, the living environment and facilities are lacking, many places have not really paid attention to the children's living conditions, besides, due to the fear of teachers and aunts. Teachers, ashamed when it comes to hygiene, so many times they refrain from defecation, some children are afraid of dirt, fear of rot, so irregular bowel movements are also factors that increase children's constipation.
- In addition, there are a number of other causes such as due to illness, having to use some drugs that cause constipation, such as long-term use of antibiotics, pain relievers, antacids containing aluminum and calcium, Antihypertensive drugs (calcium channel blockers), spasmolytics, diuretics, etc. are also causes of constipation that have been recommended by many doctors and reflected by many drug users.
Assoc. Dr. Excellent doctor Do Ngoc Tan
Gastroenterology - Anal - Rectal Surgery Center
(Vinmec International General Hospital)
PART 2: TREATMENT METHODS
(1) Doctor Nguyen Thi Thu Hau, Head of Department nutrition, Children's Hospital II