[Prevalence of constipation in school children].
OBJECTIVE
To obtain the prevalence of constipation in school children, as chronic constipation is frequent among children attending our outpatient unit but only scarce data about community prevalence are available.


METHODS
1145 children of the two first school years (52.5% males, median age 8y 4mo) of 5 schools in underprivileged areas were evaluated. They answered a previously validated questionnaire, applied by specially trained students of a practical nurse school. Defecation of scybalous stools and/or straining / pain, usually, were used to characterize constipation, by a strict criterium. Soiling or fecal blood occurring as isolated symptoms were not included in the strict criterium, but were included in two other criteria.


RESULTS
The prevalence of constipation was 25.1% for boys and 32.9% for girls, by the strict criterium, and was more frequent among girls (p<0.05). Constipated boys and girls presented, respectively, 30.5% e 31.8% of soiling and 14.6% and 25.7% of fecal blood. In addition 61 boys and 49 girls presented either soiling or fecal blood as isolated symptoms and increased the prevalence by the other criteria.


CONCLUSIONS
The prevalence of constipation in the observed community was high. Due to the severity of the possible complications, this could be considered a public health problem.
Maffei
H V
HV
Departamento de Pediatria da Faculdade de Medicina de Botucatu, UNESP.
Moreira
F L
FL
Oliveira
W M
WM
Sanini
V
V