A Primary Care Approach to Constipation in Adults with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities

Constipation is a condition that is very prevalent and is reported in up to 40 percent of individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). Constipation in this patient population is most commonly secondary to neuromuscular abnormalities, immobility, suboptimal diet, and medication...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inAdvances in medicine Vol. 2021; pp. 1 - 6
Main Authors Mathew, Reshmi, Attarha, Barrett O., Kallumkal, Govind, Cribbin, Morgan, Izzo, Christopher, Edwards, Linda, Jacob, Rafik
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Hindawi 15.11.2021
Hindawi Limited
Subjects
Review
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Summary:Constipation is a condition that is very prevalent and is reported in up to 40 percent of individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). Constipation in this patient population is most commonly secondary to neuromuscular abnormalities, immobility, suboptimal diet, and medication side effects. History taking is frequently limited in adults with IDD due to communication barriers, often leading to a missed diagnosis of constipation. Inadequately treated constipation may lead to adverse effects including behavioral disturbances, fecal impaction, intestinal obstruction, and even death from intestinal perforation and sepsis. As a result, a high index of suspicion must exist for this patient population. Treatment in these patients requires an individualized approach, to reduce the constipation and its associated health complications.
Bibliography:ObjectType-Article-2
SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1
ObjectType-Feature-3
content type line 23
ObjectType-Review-1
Academic Editor: Rahman Shiri
ISSN:2356-6752
2314-758X
DOI:10.1155/2021/3248052