Rajindrajith S, Devanarayana NM, Benninga MA. Childhood constipation: Current status, challenges, and future perspectives. World J Clin Pediatr 2022; 11(5): 385-404 [PMID: 36185096 DOI: 10.5409/wjcp.v11.i5.385]
Corresponding Author of This Article
Shaman Rajindrajith, MD, PhD, Chair Professor, Department of Paediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, University of Colombo, 25, Kynsey Road, Colombo 00800, Sri Lanka. shamanrajindrajith4@gmail.com
Research Domain of This Article
Pediatrics
Article-Type of This Article
Frontier
Open-Access Policy of This Article
This article is an open-access article which was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
World J Clin Pediatr. Sep 9, 2022; 11(5): 385-404 Published online Sep 9, 2022. doi: 10.5409/wjcp.v11.i5.385
Childhood constipation: Current status, challenges, and future perspectives
Shaman Rajindrajith, Niranga Manjuri Devanarayana, Marc A Benninga
Shaman Rajindrajith, Department of Paediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, University of Colombo, Colombo 00800, Sri Lanka
Shaman Rajindrajith, University Paediatric Unit, Lady Ridgeway Hospital for Children, Colombo 00800, Sri Lanka
Niranga Manjuri Devanarayana, Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Kelaniya, Ragama 11010, Sri Lanka
Marc A Benninga, Department of Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition, Emma Children Hospital, Amsterdam University Medical Center, Amsterdam 1105AZ, The Netherlands
Author contributions: Rajindrajith S developed the concept and wrote the initial manuscript; Devanarayana NM and Benninga MA edited the manuscript with significant intellectual contribution; All authors fulfilled the criteria for authorship established by the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors and verify the validity of the article.
Conflict-of-interest statement: All the authors report no relevant conflicts of interest for this article.
Open-Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Shaman Rajindrajith, MD, PhD, Chair Professor, Department of Paediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, University of Colombo, 25, Kynsey Road, Colombo 00800, Sri Lanka. shamanrajindrajith4@gmail.com
Received: November 6, 2021 Peer-review started: November 6, 2021 First decision: December 12, 2021 Revised: January 24, 2022 Accepted: July 6, 2022 Article in press: July 6, 2022 Published online: September 9, 2022 Processing time: 304 Days and 20.6 Hours
Core Tip
Core Tip: Constipation is a public health problem. It has a high prevalence and a multitude of risk factors. The main pathophysiological mechanisms are stool withholding and colonic and anorectal dysfunction in younger and older children, respectively. Constipation is a clinical diagnosis based on the Rome IV criteria. Polyethylene glycol-based therapy is the mainstay in the management of constipation, while other osmotic and stimulant laxatives are used as adjunct therapies. Colonic washouts and surgical interventions are reserved for refractory constipation. A well-planned preventive strategy is useful in preventing functional constipation in children and would be able to reduce healthcare costs and improve health-related quality of life.
