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Chapter 19 - Constipation in the Adult Patient

from Part 4 - Gastrointestinal

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  08 June 2020

By
Angad Singh
Edited by
Hugh Montgomery ,
Robert Shulman  and
Mayur Murali
Hugh Montgomery
Affiliation:
Centre for Human Health and Performance, University College London
Robert Shulman
Affiliation:
University College Hospitals London
Mayur Murali
Affiliation:
Whittington Hospital, London
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Summary

Constipation in the adult patient is common. Before prescribing, readers are reminded of the importance of diagnosis, identifying a cause and prompting the patient to pursue nonpharmacological measures before electing to prescribe a laxative. Different classes of laxative, from bulk forming to stimulant and osmotic laxatives, are described. Finally, the authors remind new prescribers of the importance of regular review.

Keywords

ConstipationDiagnosisCauseConservative managementLaxativeBulk-forming laxativeStimulant laxativeOsmotic laxativeReview
Type
Chapter
Information
Surviving Prescribing
A Practical Guide
 , pp. 81 - 82
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2020

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