The burden of constipation on quality of life: results of a multinational survey.
BACKGROUND
The impact of constipation on quality of life (QoL) may vary in different cultural or national settings.


OBJECTIVE
We studied QoL in a multinational survey to compare different social and demographic groups with and without constipation (defined according to Rome III criteria) and to detect country-specific differences among the groups studied.


METHODS
Health-related QoL (HRQoL) was assessed with the Short Form 36 (SF-36) questionnaire in 2870 subjects in France, Germany, Italy, UK, South Korea, Brazil and USA. Results Respondents were mainly middle-aged, married or living together and part- or full-time employed. General health status, measured by the SF-36 questionnaire, was significantly worse in the constipated vs. non-constipated populations.


RESULTS
were comparable in all countries. QoL scores correlated negatively with age. Constipated women reported more impaired HRQoL than constipated men. Brazilians were most affected by constipation as to their social functioning (35.8 constipated vs. 51.3 non-constipated) and general health perception (29.4 constipated vs. 54.4 non-constipated).


CONCLUSIONS
There are significant differences in HRQoL between constipated and non-constipated individuals and a significant, negative correlation between the number of symptoms and complaints and SF-36 scores. The study detected a correlation of constipation with QoL and the influence of social and demographic factors on HRQoL in constipated people.
Wald
A
A
University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison, WI, USA.
Scarpignato
C
C
Kamm
M A
MA
Mueller-Lissner
S
S
Helfrich
I
I
Schuijt
C
C
Bubeck
J
J
Limoni
C
C
Petrini
O
O
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D003248:Constipation / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006304:Health Status; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011788:Quality of Life; D017678:Sex Distribution; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires