The main causes of constipation include:
- Hardening of the feces
- Insufficient intake of dietary fiber
- Dehydration from any cause or inadequate fluid intake
- Medication, e.g., diuretics and those containing iron, calcium, aluminum
- Paralysis or slowed transit, where peristaltic action is diminished or absent, so that feces are not moved along
- Hypothyroidism (underactive thyroid gland)
- Hypokalemia
- Injured anal sphincter (patulous anus)
- Medications, such as loperamide, opioids (e.g., codeine and morphine) and certain tricyclic antidepressants
- Severe illness due to other causes
- Acute porphyria (a rare inherited condition)
- Lead poisoning
- Lactose Intolerance
- Dyschezia (usually the result of suppressing defecation)
- Diverticula
- Tumors, either of the bowel or surrounding tissues
- Obstructed defecation, due to:
- Mechanical causes from morphological abnormalities of the anorectum including megarectum, rectal prolapse, rectocele, and enterocele
- Functional causes from neurological disorders and dysfunction of the pelvic floor muscles or anorectal muscles, including anismus, descending perineum syndrome, and Hirschsprung's disease
- Retained foreign body or a bezoar
- Psychosomatic constipation, based on anxiety or unfamiliarity with surroundings.
- Functional constipation
- Constipation-predominant irritable bowel syndrome, characterized by a combination of constipation and abdominal discomfort and/or pain
- Smoking cessation (nicotine has a laxative effect)
- Abdominal surgery, other types of surgery, childbirth
- Severe dehydration
- Some causes are with particular respect to infants:
- Switching from breast milk to bottle feeds, or to solid meals
- Potty training anxiety
- Hirschsprung's disease - a condition from birth where the child has a nerve cell defect that affects communication between the brain and bowels
Further Reading
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