Gleneagles Hospital, National University of Singapore (NUS), Singapore.
Int J Gen Med. 2012;5:287-302. doi: 10.2147/IJGM.S29011. Epub 2012 Mar 23.
Chronic constipation is significantly more prevalent in women than men in Singapore. We carried out a survey to study patient demographics, symptom prevalence, healthcare-seeking behavior, and patient satisfaction with available treatment options in women with chronic constipation.
Responses were collected predominantly via a web-based survey from a panel representative of Singapore's women population. Eligibility was established using a nine-question screener.
A total of 1006 invited females took part in an online screener survey, of which 911 respondents did not meet the eligibility requirements for the chronic constipation survey. Of the total panelists consenting to participate (via both online and face-to-face interviews), 100 women met eligibility requirements and took the 22-question survey. Eligible respondents were skewed to younger patients but well mixed in terms of marital status. The majority of them were not keen on doing exercise and were working women, especially white collar females. The majority complained of straining and hard stools as the most common constipation symptoms (88% and 80% respectively) and rated constipation symptoms as severe or moderate. On average, respondents experienced constipation symptoms for 6 to 7 months in the last year. In more than two-thirds of respondents, constipation symptoms were frequent (at least 1 in 3 times). Most of the patients had attempted to treat constipation themselves and 80% had tried laxatives before visiting the doctor. Satisfaction with fiber supplements and laxatives was average and many of the users were not satisfied with their effect. Ineffectiveness and prolonged time taken for the treatment to take effect were the most common reasons for dissatisfaction. Nearly all respondents (97%) were interested in considering alternative prescriptive medication that is proven more effective.
Chronic constipation symptoms in women are often severe and bothersome, and many patients are dissatisfied with available treatment options primarily because of lack of efficacy.
在新加坡，女性慢性便秘的患病率明显高于男性。我们进行了一项调查，以研究女性慢性便秘患者的人口统计学特征、症状流行情况、寻求医疗保健的行为以及对现有治疗选择的满意度。
主要通过基于网络的调查，从代表新加坡女性人口的小组中收集回复。使用九项筛选器来确定合格性。
共有 1006 名受邀女性参加了在线筛选器调查，其中 911 名受访者不符合慢性便秘调查的资格要求。在同意参与（通过在线和面对面访谈）的总小组中，有 100 名女性符合资格要求并完成了 22 个问题的调查。合格的受访者偏向于年轻患者，但在婚姻状况方面混合良好。他们中的大多数人不热衷于运动，是职业女性，尤其是白领女性。大多数人抱怨排便困难和硬便，这是最常见的便秘症状（分别为 88%和 80%），并将便秘症状评为严重或中度。平均而言，受访者在过去一年中经历便秘症状的时间为 6 至 7 个月。在超过三分之二的受访者中，便秘症状频繁（至少每 3 次出现 1 次）。大多数患者都试图自行治疗便秘，80%的患者在看医生之前曾尝试过泻药。对纤维补充剂和泻药的满意度一般，许多使用者对其效果不满意。无效和治疗起效时间长是最常见的不满原因。几乎所有的受访者（97%）都有兴趣考虑其他经证实更有效的处方药物。
女性慢性便秘症状通常严重且令人困扰，许多患者对现有治疗选择不满意，主要是因为缺乏疗效。
