[Constipation in children].

Abstract

Constipation is a common disease in paediatric age, with an incidence ranging from 0.3 to 8% in paediatric patients, and from 10 to 25% among paediatric gastroenterological patients. In 90-95% of cases constipation is a functional, and often due to an exclusively milky diet or, in advanced age, to an inadequate fibres intake. Among the organic forms causing constipation, especially in new-born age, Hirshsprung disease, anorectal malformations, intestinal atresiae and stenosis are frequent. Moreover, recent studies have shown that constipation is often the symptom of a cow's milk proteins intolerance, that leadis to colorectal mucosa inflammation, with peristalsis decrease and fecal slackness. In these patients a milk's proteins free diet recovers constipation. In most persistent forms, total intestinal transit time (TITT), anorectal manometry, sphynteric muscles electromyografy and defecofraphy are useful to the diagnosis. In more than 90% of cases simple diet revisions, fecal softening, evacuative suppositories and enemas recovers constipation, some times a psychological approach is useful. Furthermore, excellent results can be obtained by giving low doses of polietiltnglycol (PEG), which has been recently introduced for the treatment of functional chronic constipation.