Prevalence and profile of functional constipation among children aged 1–12 years at a tertiary care center

Abstract

Background: Constipation not only bothers children but also their parents. Even then, it remains neglected and leads to delayed medical care. It leads to physical as well as psychological morbidity. It affects the quality of life of children. Lack of timely medical care compounds the problem. The child may lose his/her self-esteem. About 1%–3% of children may develop impaction of the feces and may lead to soiling with fecal matter. Objective: The objective was to study the prevalence and clinicopsychological profile of functional constipation (FC) among children aged 1–12 years. Materials and Methods: This was a hospital-based cross-sectional study carried out among 156 children aged 1–12 years attending the tertiary care center for 1 year. During the study, 911 children aged 1–12 years attended the hospital. We applied Rome IV criteria for the diagnosis of FC. Using these criteria, 156 children were found to have FC, and all of them were included in the present study. Results: The prevalence of FC among the children was 17.1%. It was more in the toddler group (43.6%) with a slight female preponderance (51.3%). It was more in urban resident children (69.2%) and children belonging to the low socioeconomic group (33.3%). Painful defecation was the most common presenting complaint (81.4%). Most of the children passed Bristol Type II stool <three times a week. Majority of children were taking low-fiber diet, had poor physical activity, and aversion to school. Conclusion: The prevalence FC among children was high at 17.1%. Low-fiber diet, poor physical activity, and aversion to school were common in children with FC.

Keywords

• fecal soiling
• functional constipation
• painful defecation
• withholding behavior