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Recent Advances in the Management of Difficult Constipation

  • Neuromuscular Disorders of the Gastrointestinal Tract (A Foxx-Orenstein, Section Editor)
  • Published:
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Abstract

Constipation is a highly prevalent disorder. Some patients suffer from acute, intermittent episodes of constipation. Others, however, suffer from chronic constipation, a term that refers to those patients with symptoms of constipation for more than 6 months. In clinical practice, chronic constipation is often used interchangeably with the term functional constipation, which is currently defined using the Rome III criteria. Symptoms can be burdensome, leading to a reduction in patients’ quality of life. In addition, chronic constipation is important because it imposes a significant economic impact to the health care system. Some patients with chronic constipation have persistent symptoms despite implementing lifestyle changes and using either over-the-counter agents or prescription medications. These patients may be categorized as having difficult constipation. This report will focus on recent advances in the management of difficult constipation, and include a discussion of new and upcoming medications as well as new diagnostic tests and procedures.

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Disclosure

M. Crowell has been a board member for the American Journal of Gastroenterology, and a consultant for Ethicon, Inc and EndoStim, Inc; B Lacy is on the Scientific Advisory Board for Takeda and Salix; J Levenick reported no potential conflicts of interest relevant to this article.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Gastroenterology & Hepatology, Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, 1 Medical Center Drive, Lebanon, NH, 03756, USA

    Brian E. Lacy & John Levenick

  2. Division of Gastroenterology, Mayo Clinic Scottsdale, 13400 E. Shea Blvd., Scottsdale, AZ, 85259, USA

    Michael Crowell

Authors
  1. Brian E. Lacy
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  2. John Levenick
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  3. Michael Crowell
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Correspondence to Brian E. Lacy.

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Lacy, B.E., Levenick, J. & Crowell, M. Recent Advances in the Management of Difficult Constipation. Curr Gastroenterol Rep 14, 306–312 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11894-012-0269-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11894-012-0269-1

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