40% kids in India suffer from constipation

With unhealthy eating habits and sedentary lifestyles taking a toll on children's digestion, doctors say , constipation is no longer an old age problem but afflicts up to 40% of schoolgoing children.

“In any school, nearly 40% of the children suffer from constipation, and the primary reason is lifestyle,“ said Dr Nishant Wadhwa, paediatric gastroenterologist at Ganga Ram Hospital in Delhi. He said children eat too much processed and carbohydrate-rich food without drinking enough water.

An ongoing study at the hospital showed that 30-40% of child patients in the outpatient department have recurring bouts of abdominal pain due to constipation, up from 10-20% a decade ago. Besides lack of fibre-rich food and water, family factors also play a role.

Dr Wadhwa said toilet training of children is often delayed in nuclear families with both parents working. As a result, they do not develop the habit of passing stool daily. “Constipation is increasingly prevalent among children to the extent that some pass stool just once in a week,“ said Dr Anupam Sibal, senior paediatric gastroenterologist and medical director at Apollo Hospitals.

Unlike in the movie, constipation is no laughing matter because it affects a child's growth due to reduced appetite, and causes problems like bleeding. Dr Sibal said constipation leads to the problem of soiling in some children who pass stool without realizing it. While doctors prescribe medication in severe cases, they also emphasise the need for more outdoor activities and improved food habits.

Childhood constipation can not only lead to a complicated and prolonged bowel problem but also cause diseases such as piles or haemorrhoids, ulcers, abdominal pain and anal fissures. Due to blood clotting, it can also lead to heart attack and stroke.

Estimates from a study show 14% of people in urban India suffer from chronic constipation, while the incidence is 10% worldwide. 80% of people with chronic constipation look for treatment only after facing the problem multiple times, while 60% seek home remedies.

(Source: Feb 16 2016 The Times of India, Kolkata)