title: Irritable bowel syndrome and chronic constipation: Fact and fiction.
abstract: Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and functional constipation (FC) are the most common functional gastrointestinal disorders. According to the Rome III Criteria these two disorders should be theoretically separated mainly by the presence of abdominal pain or discomfort relieved by defecation (typical of IBS) and they should be mutually exclusive. However, many gastroenterologists have serious doubts as regards a clear separation. Both IBS-C and FC, often associated with many other functional digestive and non digestive disorders, are responsible for a low quality of life. The impact of the media on patients' perception of these topics is sometimes disruptive, often suggesting a distorted view of pathophysiology, diagnosis and therapy. These messages frequently overlap with previous subjective opinions and are further processed on the basis of the different culture and the previous experience of the constipated patients, often producing odd, useless or even dangerous behaviors. The aim of this review was to analyze the most common patients' beliefs about IBS-C and CC, helping physicians to understand where they should focus their attention when communicating with patients, detecting false opinions and misconceptions and correcting them on the basis of scientific evidence.
authors.affiliation: Massimo Bellini, Dario Gambaccini, Nicola De Bortoli, Lorenzo Bertani, Santino Marchi, Gastrointestinal Unit, Department of Gastroenterology, University of Pisa, 56124 Pisa, Italy.
authors.forename: Massimo
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bellini
authors.affiliation: Massimo Bellini, Dario Gambaccini, Nicola De Bortoli, Lorenzo Bertani, Santino Marchi, Gastrointestinal Unit, Department of Gastroenterology, University of Pisa, 56124 Pisa, Italy.
authors.forename: Dario
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Gambaccini
authors.affiliation: Massimo Bellini, Dario Gambaccini, Nicola De Bortoli, Lorenzo Bertani, Santino Marchi, Gastrointestinal Unit, Department of Gastroenterology, University of Pisa, 56124 Pisa, Italy.
authors.forename: Paolo
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Usai-Satta
authors.affiliation: Massimo Bellini, Dario Gambaccini, Nicola De Bortoli, Lorenzo Bertani, Santino Marchi, Gastrointestinal Unit, Department of Gastroenterology, University of Pisa, 56124 Pisa, Italy.
authors.forename: Nicola
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: De Bortoli
authors.affiliation: Massimo Bellini, Dario Gambaccini, Nicola De Bortoli, Lorenzo Bertani, Santino Marchi, Gastrointestinal Unit, Department of Gastroenterology, University of Pisa, 56124 Pisa, Italy.
authors.forename: Lorenzo
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Bertani
authors.affiliation: Massimo Bellini, Dario Gambaccini, Nicola De Bortoli, Lorenzo Bertani, Santino Marchi, Gastrointestinal Unit, Department of Gastroenterology, University of Pisa, 56124 Pisa, Italy.
authors.forename: Santino
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Marchi
authors.affiliation: Massimo Bellini, Dario Gambaccini, Nicola De Bortoli, Lorenzo Bertani, Santino Marchi, Gastrointestinal Unit, Department of Gastroenterology, University of Pisa, 56124 Pisa, Italy.
authors.forename: Cristina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Stasi
mesh_terms: D015746:Abdominal Pain / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000503:physiopathology; D002908:Chronic Disease; D003248:Constipation / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy; D003672:Defecation; D005772:Gastrointestinal Transit; D015438:Health Behavior; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D007422:Intestines / Q000503:physiopathology*; D043183:Irritable Bowel Syndrome / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy; D010353:Patient Education as Topic; D011639:Public Opinion
keywords: Chronic constipation; Functional constipation; Irritable bowel syndrome