Impact of persistent constipation on health-related quality of life and mortality in older community-dwelling women

Objectives:Very little is known about whethe. The reported health-related impact of constipation is worse in people who experience constipation over a long period of time vs. those with more transient symptoms. We aimed to determin. The impact of persistent vs. transient constipation on health-related quality of life (QOL), depression, and mortality.METHODS:We analyzed data from 5,107 women (aged 70-75 years in 1996) who answered "Have you had constipation i. The past 12 months?" in all five surveys sent out every 3 years o. The Australian Longitudinal Study on Women's Health.RESULTS:O. The 5,107 women, 20.9, 54.1, and 24.7% reported having persistent constipation on at least 4 out of 5 surveys, transient constipation reported on 1-3 surveys, or none reported ove. The 15-year time frame, respectively. Women who reported persistent constipation had significantly lower scores for all domains of QOL o. The SF-36 except role-emotional, and had higher levels of self-reported depression, even after adjusting for number of chronic illnesses and fluid intake. Mortality rates were increased when comparing women with no reported constipation with persistently reported constipation (8.2% vs. 11%, odds ratio = 1.32, 95% confidence interval 1.0, 1.74, P = 0.05) controlling for specific chronic illnesses.CONCLUSIONS:Persistent constipation among older women is associated with poor health outcomes.