Original ArticlePrevalence, symptoms and outcome of constipation in infants and toddlers
Section snippets
Subjects
Between January 2000 and July 2003, a 42-month period, 4,157 children between 0 and 24 months were seen in our general pediatric clinics for health maintenance and acute care visits. This interval was chosen because it allowed follow-up examination of all children. The study was approved by the Institutional Human Research Review Committee.
A computer search using “0 to 24 months” and “constipation,” defined by the ICD codes 564.0, 564.1, 564.2, 564.09 as search terms, identified 215 children, 0
Prevalence of Constipation
A total of 185 of the 4,157 infants and toddlers had constipation. The prevalence rate for constipation for children ≤2 years of age was 4.45%. The age distribution of these 4,157 children and the prevalence rate by age is given in the Figure. The prevalence rate for constipation in children in the first year of life was 2.9% and was significantly lower than in the second year of life (10.1%; P <.001). The ratio of constipated boys to girls was 1.1:1.
Infant Dyschezia
Ten otherwise healthy infants younger than 6
Discussion
We found that the prevalence rate for constipation in children ≤2 years of age who attended the general pediatric clinics was 4.5%. The prevalence rate in the first year of life was 2.9%, and in the second year of life it was 10.1%. The ratio of constipated boys to girls was 1.1 : 1. Most of the infants and toddlers who were constipated (97%) had functional constipation. Constipation should not be defined by symptom duration of >2 weeks or by frequency of BMs only, but rather by hard stool
References (16)
- et al.
Natural history of cow milk allergy: clinical outcome
J Pediatr
(1990) Stool frequency of normal infants in the first week of life
Pediatrics
(1952)- et al.
Frequency and weight of normal stools in infancy
Arch Dis Child
(1979) - et al.
The bowel habit of young children
Arch Dis Child
(1984) - et al.
Bowel frequency in healthy children
Acta Paediatr Scand
(1989) - et al.
Are chronic digestive complaints the result of abnormal dietary patterns?
Am J Dis Child
(1987) - et al.
Constipation in infants and children: evaluation and treatment
J Ped Gastro Nutr
(1999) - et al.
Childhood functional gastrointestinal disorders
Gut
(1999)
Cited by (179)
Functional constipation symptoms and complementary feeding methods: A randomized clinical trial
2023, Anales de PediatriaStrategies used for childhood chronic functional constipation: the SUCCESS evidence synthesis
2024, Health Technology Assessment
Dr. Loening-Baucke has received research funding and consulting fees from Braintree Laboratories.