Journal
UNITED EUROPEAN GASTROENTEROLOGY JOURNAL
Volume 4, Issue 3, Pages 429-437Publisher
SAGE PUBLICATIONS INC
DOI: 10.1177/2050640615603009
Keywords
Constipation; prevalence; epidemiology; general population
Categories
Funding
- Shire-Movetis NV, Belgium
Ask authors/readers for more resources
Background: Variable prevalence rates between 2.4 and 35% have been reported for chronic constipation across different countries worldwide, with a low 5% for Germany. Objectives and methods: We conducted a computer-assisted telephone interview among 15,002 representative individuals in Germany, asking about health-related problems, including constipation. Those who acknowledged the presence of constipation symptoms during the preceding 12 months were questioned concerning constipation features and sociographic variables. Results: Of 15,002 individuals interviewed, 2,239 (14.9%) acknowledged having experienced constipation during the last 12 months, 864 (5.8%) reported constipation during the last 4 weeks, and 380 (2.5%) had current constipation symptoms; 4.4% had taken medication because of their constipation, and 2.6% had consulted a doctor for constipation. In comparison to non-constipated volunteers, those constipated had a lower health quality of life and poorer health, and lower income and social status. Conclusion: Up to 15% of the general (German) population report symptoms of constipation depending on the definition. This matches pooled constipation rates across 18 countries (14%).
Authors
I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.
Reviews
Recommended
No Data Available