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Constipation

  • Chapter
Gastrointestinal Motility

Abstract

Constipation affects 5-20% of the population and is more common in females. Each year, it accounts for more than 2.5 million patient visits to physicians [1,2]. In 1994, $840 million was spent on laxatives [3] and in 1985, $354 million was spent on health care services for patients with constipation [4]. Today, the expenditure is likely to be much higher because of escalating health care costs, an increasing array of diagnostic tests and an increasing recognition of this problem. However, in the community, many patients self-treat their “constipation”, often successfully, using either home remedies or laxatives. Hence, those who seek medical help merely constitute the tip of the “constipation iceberg”. Most of these patients have a significant problem, which merits further evaluation.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of Iowa College of Medicine, University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, Iowa City, Iowa, 52242, USA

    Satish S. C. Rao

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  1. Satish S. C. Rao
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. University of Iowa College of Medicine, Iowa City, Iowa, USA

    Satish S. C. Rao

  2. Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota, USA

    Joseph A. Murray

  3. University of Iowa College of Medicine, Iowa City, Iowa, USA

    Jeffrey L. Conklin , Frederick C. Johlin , Konrad S. Schulze-Delrieu  & Robert W. Summers , ,  & 

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© 1999 Springer Science+Business Media New York

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Rao, S.S.C. (1999). Constipation. In: Rao, S.S.C., Conklin, J.L., Johlin, F.C., Murray, J.A., Schulze-Delrieu, K.S., Summers, R.W. (eds) Gastrointestinal Motility. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4615-4803-4_20

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4615-4803-4_20

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Boston, MA

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4613-7176-2

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4615-4803-4

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