The burden of constipation in psychiatric hospitals

Abstract

Objective: In this study, we aimed to explore the total burden of constipation in our setting by measuring aggregate laxative consumption data and hospital admissions potentially associated with complications of chronic constipation. In addition, we aimed to determine point prevalence of individual laxative use.

Methods: This study was carried out across all public psychiatric hospitals in the Basque Country. First, laxative consumption data was obtained for the period from January 2008 to October 2016. Total laxative use was then calculated as the total number of individual daily defined doses (DDD). Second, we analyzed the number of admissions to any public acute health-care hospitals for constipation complications. Third, a cross prevalence study was performed to estimate the point constipation prevalence on December 2016.

Results: A mean consumption of oral laxatives around 1 DDD per stay and 1 enema per 100 stays was found. A total of 192 admissions potentially associated with constipation complications were recorded. At the time of the study, approximately half of admitted patients had at least one laxative prescribed.

Conclusions: Our study highlights the important burden constipation represents in psychiatric inpatients. Although frequently neglected, it can lead to serious adverse clinical consequences.

Keywords:

• Laxatives
• constipation
• psychiatric hospitals
• fecaloma

Acknowlegdements

None.

Disclosure statement

The authors declare no conflicts of interest. The authors declare no financial support was obtained to carry out this study.

Prior presentations

The results of this study have been sent as a poster to the 13th Congress of the European Association of Clinical Pharmacology & Therapeutics, to be held in Prague, Czech Republic, from 24 June 2017 to 27 June 2017.