Constipation

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Constipation is a condition of the digestive system where a person (or other animal) experiences difficulty in eliminating feces.

Some of the main causes of constipation include:

Constriction, where part of the intestine or rectum is narrowed or blocked, not allowing feces to move past
Paralysis, where peristaltic action is diminished or absent, so that feces are not moved along
Excessive drying of feces, due to dehydration, forming a hard bulk that cannot be eliminated
Insufficient intake of food or dietary fiber, so that a suitable bolus is not formed
Psychosomatic constipation, based on anxiety or unfamiliarity with surroundings. Two forms: functional constipation, and constipation-predominant irritable bowel syndrome, characterized by a combination of constipation and abdominal discomfort and/or pain.

These causes may have a multiplicity of causes themselves.

People often take laxatives to try to eliminate constipation. Earlier remedies included enemas.

Constipation in art

Screaming Jay Hawkins wrote and sang "Constipation Blues" while suffering a serious bout. He had the following to say about the condition.

"I never before had been constipated in my life and it didn't dawn on me until I was five hours on the stool in the hospital that nothin' was gonna happen. I had doctors give me enemas and still nothin' happened. I had tears in my eyes, and I noticed this beautiful roll of toilet paper and I took out a pencil and, at the bottom of the toilet paper, I started writin' the song backwards, from the bottom up. The more I rolled out the toilet paper, the more I got into the song. I wrote exactly as I felt, each movement, each sound, each pain..."

The Bonzo Dog Band recorded "The Strain" on the same subject.

Health science - Medicine - Gastroenterology
Diseases of the esophagus - stomach
Halitosis - Nausea - Vomiting - GERD - Achalasia - Esophageal cancer - Esophageal varices - Peptic ulcer - Abdominal pain - Stomach cancer - functional dyspepsia
Diseases of the liver - pancreas - gallbladder - biliary tree
Hepatitis - Cirrhosis - NASH - Budd-Chiari syndrome - Hepatocellular carcinoma - Pancreatitis - Pancreatic cancer - Gallstones - Cholecystitis
Diseases of the small intestine
Peptic ulcer - Malabsorption (e.g. celiac disease, lactose intolerance, fructose malabsorption, Whipple's disease) - Lymphoma
Diseases of the colon
Diarrhea - Appendicitis - Diverticulitis - Diverticulosis - IBD (Crohn's disease and Ulcerative colitis) - Irritable bowel syndrome - Constipation - Colorectal cancer - Hirschsprung's disease - Pseudomembranous colitis