Less often, constipation may be a symptom of an illness or condition that affects the digestive tract, the brain or the spinal cord. Some examples include irritable bowel syndrome, intestinal obstruction, diverticulitis, colorectal cancer, hypothyroidism, abnormally high blood calcium levels (hypercalcemia), multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's disease and spinal cord injury.
Constipation is a very common problem that affects at least 80% of people at some time during their lives. In the United States, treatment for constipation accounts for more than 2.5 million visits to doctors' offices each year, with at least $800 million spent annually for laxatives. Although adults of all ages can suffer from constipation, the risk of this problem increases dramatically after age 65 in both men and women.
Occasionally, long-term constipation develops into fecal impaction, which is a blocked colon from a mass of stool that can't be moved by colon contractions. Fecal impaction can cause pain and vomiting, and a person with fecal impaction may require emergency treatment or hospitalization. Fecal impaction is a fairly common complication of long-term constipation in the elderly and bedridden, occurring in about 30% of all nursing home residents.
Symptoms
Symptoms of constipation include:
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Fewer than three bowel movements per week
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Small, hard, dry stools that are difficult or painful to pass
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The need to strain excessively to have a bowel movement
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A feeling that your rectum is not empty after a bowel movement
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Frequent use of enemas, laxatives or suppositories
Symptoms of fecal impaction include:
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Liquid stool (the stool is leaking around the impacted mass of feces and can be mistaken for diarrhea)
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Abdominal pain, especially after meals
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A persistent urge to move the bowels
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Nausea and vomiting
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Headache
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Poor appetite, weight loss
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Malaise (a generally sick feeling)
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If the problem is not treated, dehydration, rapid pulse, rapid breathing, fever, agitation, confusion and urinary incontinence
