Constipation is a common gastrointestinal disorder defined by infrequent bowel movements, difficult or incomplete evacuation, and the passage of hard or lumpy stools, often accompanied by straining, abdominal discomfort, and bloating. It is conventionally distinguished as primary, or functional, constipation, arisin…
Constipation is a common gastrointestinal disorder defined by infrequent bowel movements, difficult or incomplete evacuation, and the passage of hard or lumpy stools, often accompanied by straining, abdominal discomfort, and bloating. It is conventionally distinguished as primary, or functional, constipation, arising from disordered colonic transit and pelvic-floor or defecatory dysfunction, and secondary constipation, resulting from diet, medication, metabolic and neurological disease, or structural pathology. From a nutritional standpoint, constipation is closely tied to dietary fibre intake, fluid status, and gut motility, and dietary modification is a first-line consideration in management. The condition is frequently encountered in vulnerable groups, including children with developmental or gastrointestinal disease, where elemental and specialised diets may be employed, and in pregnancy and older age. Management strategies range from increased dietary fibre and hydration to pharmacological agents; naturally occurring anthraquinone compounds, for example, have a long-recognised stimulant-laxative action on the bowel. Persistent or alarm-feature constipation may warrant evaluation for underlying inflammatory, obstructive, or motility disorders, sometimes requiring imaging or specialist gastroenterological assessment. Because bowel function reflects the interplay of diet, hydration, microbiota, and neuromuscular control of the colon, constipation is studied across nutrition, gastroenterology, and public health as both a symptom and a target for dietary and clinical intervention.
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