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Constipation (also known as costiveness or dyschezia〔) refers to bowel movements that are infrequent or hard to pass. Constipation is a common cause of painful defecation. Severe constipation includes obstipation (failure to pass stools or gas) and fecal impaction, which can progress to bowel obstruction and become life-threatening. Constipation is a symptom with many causes. These causes are of two types: obstructed defecation and colonic slow transit (or hypomobility). About 50% of patients evaluated for constipation at tertiary referral hospitals have obstructed defecation. This type of constipation has mechanical and functional causes. Causes of colonic slow transit constipation include diet, hormonal disorders such as hypothyroidism, side effects of medications, and rarely heavy metal toxicity. Because constipation is a symptom, not a disease, effective treatment of constipation may require first determining the cause. Treatments include changes in dietary habits, laxatives, enemas, biofeedback, and in particular situations surgery may be required. Constipation is common; in the general population rates of constipation varies from 2 to 30%.〔 In old people living in care homes the rate of constipation is 50% to 75%. In the United States expenditures on medications for constipation are greater than $250 million per year. ==Definition== The definition of constipation includes the following:〔("Constipation" ). eMedicine.〕 * infrequent bowel movements (typically three times or fewer per week) * difficulty during defecation (straining during more than 25% of bowel movements or a subjective sensation of hard stools), or * the sensation of incomplete bowel evacuation. The Rome III criteria are widely used to diagnose chronic constipation, and are helpful in separating cases of chronic functional constipation from less-serious instances. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Constipation」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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