Constipation affects around 12% of the population and can have a negative impact on quality of life, however many people suffer in silence, a dietician has warned.

According to Jacqueline Boyle, a dietician at St Mary's Hospital in Dublin, constipation is ‘widely prevalent in the western world'.

It is a condition in which bowel evacuations do not occur frequently or stools are hard, small and difficult or painful to pass. Constipation can affect people of all ages, however it is most common among children, pregnant women and older people.

The most common causes of the condition relate to the inadequate intake of fibre in the diet, poor hydration, poor mobility and a conscious retention of faeces.

It can also come about as a side-effect of certain diseases or medications, including antihistamines, antidepressants and antacids.

"Although constipation is rarely serious, it can lead to bowel obstruction, chronic constipation, haemorrhoids, hernia, irritable bowel syndrome and laxative dependency," Ms Boyle warned.

She noted that constipation is common among children, with up to 30% suffering from it at some stage. While it can occur at any age, it most often occurs when the child is weaning at four to six months of age and when they are potty training at two-to three years.

Ms Boyle explained that the discomfort and distress a child may experience during a bout of constipation ‘can increase their likelihood of refusing to defecate in the future'. In other words, they may deliberately try not to go to the toilet. This increases the risk of impaction (overflow diarrhoea).

Other causes include poor fibre intake, changes in routine and emotional disturbances.

Older people can be more prone to constipation for a number of reasons including reduced mobility levels, lower fibre intake and increased medication intake.

Meanwhile, most pregnant women will experience constipation at some stage and this can be due to reduced physical activity, dietary changes and iron supplementation.

Ms Boyle emphasised the importance of fibre, or ‘roughage', when dealing with this issue. Fibre is the part of food that is not digested by the body and is only available from foods of plant origin, such as fruit, vegetables, nuts, seeds, wholemeal flour and unrefined cereals.

The Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) recommends that children aged between five and 18 should consume five grams of fibre plus an extra gram of fibre for each year of life per day. In other words, a 10-year-old would require 15g of fibre per day.

Adults aged 19 and older are advised to have 25g per day.

"Those who do not usually have a good fibre intake from their diet should introduce fibre slowly and gradually increase the amounts daily, as a sudden increase could lead to bloating, abdominal cramps and flatulence," Ms Boyle warned.

Furthermore, any increase in fibre should be accompanied by an increase in fluid, ‘as fibre needs fluid in order to work efficiently'.

Aside from diet, people should try to be physically active and the multiple use of medications should be reviewed regularly.

"When all other recommendations have failed for adults and older people, laxatives may be considered', Ms Boyle added.

She made her comments in WIN (World of Irish Nursing & Midwifery), the Journal of the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation.

For more information on constipation and other digestive disorders, see our new Digestive Disorders Clinic here