With the change in diet structure, the pace of life and the impact of psychosocial factors, the prevalence of chronic constipation is increasing year by year. The prevalence of adult constipation in China is 4% to 6%, and increases with age, and the prevalence of chronic constipation in people over 60 years old can be as high as 22%. What is constipation? Constipation is characterized by a decrease in the number of bowel movements (<3 times/week), dry and hard stools, and/or difficulty in defecation (straining to defecate, difficulty in passing stools, feeling of incomplete defecation, time-consuming defecation, and needing manual assistance to defecate). The duration of chronic constipation is at least 6 months. Causes of constipation Constipation is associated with work stress, psychosocial factors (such as anxiety, depression and adverse life events). Women, low BMI, low fiber foods, and reduced fluid intake can increase the occurrence of chronic constipation, as well as diseases such as: intestinal (tumors, rectal bulge (prolapse), anal diseases); endocrine and metabolic (diabetes, hypothyroidism, hyperthyroidism, endocrine tumors, heavy metal toxicity, chronic kidney disease, uremia); neurological (cerebrovascular disease, cognitive impairment or dementia, Parkinson's disease, spinal cord injury); muscle Diseases (dermatomyositis, scleroderma); women's pregnancy, childbirth can also lead to the occurrence of constipation, drugs taken in daily life such as antidepressants, epilepsy, psychiatric drugs, anti-allergic drugs, anti-vibration paralysis drugs, drugs for the treatment of peptic ulcers, drugs for the treatment of cardiovascular diseases, painkillers, calcium and iron and other elemental supplements can also cause different degrees of constipation, the abuse of laxatives aggravate constipation. The danger of constipation Constipation and anorectal diseases (such as hemorrhoids, anal fissure and rectal prolapse, etc.) are closely related. Chronic constipation may play an important role in the development of colorectal cancer, hepatic encephalopathy, breast disease, Alzheimer's disease and other diseases. In diseases such as acute myocardial infarction and cerebrovascular accident, excessive straining to defecate can even lead to death. Constipation treatment misconceptions Because of the privacy and the influence of "unclean" thinking, most constipation patients taboo, based only on life experience or listen to the advertising propaganda of various channels, blindly choose drugs containing rhubarb, aloe vera, phenolphthalein, castor oil, senna, and other ingredients, and even the so-called "health products" with unknown ingredients such as regular tea, intestinal tea, etc. Long-term oral health care products, resulting in irreversible intestinal nerve damage, colonic melanosis, electrolyte disorders, and even the occurrence of intestinal tumors, the results of which further aggravate the condition of constipation, increasing the difficulty of constipation treatment. Reasonable diagnosis and treatment of constipation Therefore, you need a team of professional doctors to clarify the causes and types of constipation through reasonable examination, formulate individualized treatment plans, and guide you in the standardized treatment of constipation.