Familial clustering of habitual constipation: a prospective study in children from West Virginia.
OBJECTIVE
To investigate familial clustering of habitual constipation in pediatric patients who attended our medical facilities.


METHODS
Children with the diagnosis of functional, habitual constipation or patients without constipation and their respective family members were prospectively recruited to our study. Constipation was established in all participants using a standard questionnaire (Rome criteria).


RESULTS
A total of 112 children and their families participated in the study, of which 37 were probands families (test) and 75 children and their respective family members constituted the control group. A total of 310 family members completed the questionnaire. No significant differences were found between the study and the control groups in age, sex, or family size. Siblings or parents from the study group (probands) had significantly higher rates of constipation compared with the control group (30% vs 7% and 42% vs 9%, respectively; P = 0.001).


CONCLUSIONS
Habitual constipation in children seemed to cluster in families. The pathophysiology behind this phenomenon is yet unknown.
Ostwani
Waseem
W
Department of Pediatrics, Section of Gastroenterology, Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine, Marshall University, Huntington, West Virginia 25701, USA.
Dolan
Jenna
J
Elitsur
Yoram
Y
D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D002908:Chronic Disease; D016000:Cluster Analysis; D003109:Colonic Diseases, Functional; D003248:Constipation / Q000453:epidemiology; D005192:Family Health; D005260:Female; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D010290:Parents; D015995:Prevalence; D035781:Siblings; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014903:West Virginia