Symptoms of constipation

Are you suffering from stress, lack of energy, back pain or do you have a feeling of bloating? Have you ever considered the possibility that constipation could be the root of the problem? Let's take a closer look at this body condition - learn more about the symptoms of constipation.

What is constipation?

It is important to define and clarify what constipation is. According to Wikipedia.org, constipation is defined as a symptom of intestinal obstruction. According to the NDDIC, constipation is defined as a symptom, not a disease, in people who have fewer than three bowel movements per week. Constipation typically involves stools that are hard, dry, small in volume, and difficult to eliminate from the rectum.

Now, hopefully, you have a better understanding of what constipation is, you also know that it is not a disease. But just because constipation is not a disease but a symptom does not mean you should not take it seriously.

Constipation statistics

Almost everyone has heard of, read about, or perhaps even personally experienced constipation at least once in their lifetime. The National Digestive Diseases Information Center (NDDIC) reports that more than 4 million Americans suffer from frequent constipation, which accounts for more than 2.5 million doctor visits per year.

Facts about constipation

While these are symptoms and not a disease, by definition, it is vital that you are aware of these alarming facts about constipation, taken from various studies.

• Prevalence: 3.1 million people
• Mortality: 121 deaths (2002 est.)
• Hospitalizations: 398,000 (2002)
• Outpatient visits: 1.4 million (1999-2000)
• Recipes: 1 million people
• Disability: 30,000 people

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General symptoms of constipation

Recognizing that your health is the key to a long and successful life in all areas, let's look at some sources that refer to the symptoms of constipation. So, you have constipation if you already experience two of the more signs or symptoms

• You have fewer than three bowel movements per week.
• You have hard stools.
• You experience excessive straining during bowel movements.
• You experience a feeling of rectal blockage (as if the anus is blocked)
• You have a feeling of incomplete evacuation after defecation
• Additional maneuvers must be used to produce a bowel movement, such as giving an enema or inserting a finger into the rectum.

You have two or more of the following symptoms for at least 3 months:

• You strain during bowel movements more than 25% of the time.
• You have hard stools that take up more than 25% of your bowel movement time.
• Incomplete evacuation lasts more than 25% of the time of the entire defecation
• You have two or fewer bowel movements per week.

There are a total of 32 symptoms of constipation including these, and they are supplemented by difficult bowel movements, painful bowel movements, dry stools, small stool volume, hard stools, no bowel movement, infrequent bowel movements, straining to pass stool, abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, weight loss, awkwardness during bowel movements, feeling sluggish, diarrhea, bloating.

If your stool is soft and passes easily from the anus and occurs at least 2 times a day, you are not constipated.

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Diagnosis: constipation

To confirm a diagnosis of constipation, you must experience at least two of the following symptoms for at least 12 months:

• Hard or pellet-like stools that are passed at least 25% of the time during bowel movements
• Straining during bowel movements that last at least 25% of the time of total bowel movements
• It feels like you haven't completely cleared your bowels at least 25% of the time during your bowel movements.
• Less than 5 bowel movements per week

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Please note

Although constipation is not a disease, its symptoms should be taken seriously, as constipation can be the root cause of the most common diseases. Additional symptoms can be abdominal pain, stress, lack of energy, back pain.

Once you can identify the root of the problem, the process of finding answers that work in the long term becomes much easier, and in some cases, can be life-saving.

Complications of constipation

Sometimes constipation can lead to complications that have their own set of symptoms. These potential complications include

• Haemorrhoids
• Anal fissures
• Rectal prolapse
• Fecal impaction (stagnation of feces in the rectum)

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Hemorrhoids and anal fissures

Hemorrhoids can be caused by straining during bowel movements. Anal fissures (in the skin around the anus) can be caused by hard stools that stretch the sphincter muscles.

Both hemorrhoids and anal fissures can cause rectal bleeding, which appears as narrow, bright red streaks down the length of the stool. Treatment for hemorrhoids may include sitting in a warm bath, using ice packs, and applying special creams to the affected area. Treatment for anal fissures often involves stretching the sphincter muscle or surgically removing tissue or skin in the affected area.

Rectal prolapse

Sometimes straining during bowel movements causes a condition called rectal prolapse, which is the rectum that falls out along with the stool to push the stool out of the body. This condition is classified by doctors as a person's rectum falling out, which in most cases results in the production of mucus that leaks out of the anus. In most cases, treating the cause of the prolapse, such as straining during bowel movements or coughing, requires inpatient treatment. Severe or chronic prolapse is the basis for surgery to strengthen the muscles of the anal sphincter weakened by constipation or to correct the prolapsed part of the rectum.

Fecal impaction

Constipation can also be caused by hard fecal matter in the intestines and rectum that sits so firmly that the normal pushing action of the colon is not enough to push the feces out of the body. This condition, called fecal impaction, occurs most often in older adults and young children. Fecal impaction of the rectum can be relieved by mineral oil taken orally or via an enema. Once the fecal impaction has been relieved, a doctor may remove some of the stool by breaking it up. This is done by inserting one or two fingers into the anus.

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