Chronic constipation affects about one in six people in the U.S. and is a problem that primary care doctors hear about very frequently. Symptoms include infrequent bowel movements, hard stools, straining, abdominal bloating and discomfort, and a sense of incomplete evacuation. It’s not a dangerous problem, but it causes plenty of misery for lots of people. Though doctors have a few remedies for chronic constipation (which I’ll list at the end of this post) they are only temporarily and modestly effective.
This week’s New England Journal of Medicine publishes the ” target=”_blank”>informative slideshow about constipation.
Learn more:
” target=”_blank”>Experimental Drug May Treat Chronic Constipation (WebMD article)
” target=”_blank”>Two Randomized Trials of Linaclotide for Chronic Constipation (New England Journal of Medicine article. Summary available without subscription.)
Important legal mumbo jumbo:
Anything you read on the web should be used to supplement, not replace, your doctor’s advice. Anything that I write is no exception. I’m a doctor, but I’m not your doctor.
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