[Prevalence of chronic constipation in children at a primary health care unit].
OBJECTIVE
To study the frequency of chronic constipation in childhood at a Primary Health Care Unit and to observe its characteristics in this population.


METHODS
The sample consisted of 313 children aged between one and 10 years treated at the Centro de Saúde Escola, in the district of Tibério, in the town of Ribeirão Preto. Among these, 84 children with chronic constipation were selected. The chi-squared test was used to compare the groups of constipated and nonconstipated children (p=0.01).


RESULTS
The prevalence of chronic constipation was 26.8%. In the group of chronic constipation, 85.7% of the children had hardened stools, 25% showed reduction in fecal mass, 17.9% had an interval between evacuations longer than 2 days (constipated children), 14.3% revealed fecal soiling and 21.4% presented blood in stools.


CONCLUSIONS
The prevalence of chronic constipation was high and the interval between evacuations was as an important diagnostic criterion for the selection of constipated children.
Del Ciampo
Ieda Regina Lopes
IR
Medicina, Universidade de Ribeirão Preto, SP. irlopes@keynet.com.br
Galvão
Lívia Carvalho
LC
Del Ciampo
Luiz Antônio
LA
Fernandes
Maria Inez Machado
MI