Background and aim: A recent epidemiologic survey in the U.S. provides
indirect evidence that constipation is a risk factor for cardiovascular disease
in postmenopausal females. To characterize the related factors involved in
and to further analyse if this assumption also applies to an Italian population,
we studied the impact of chronic constipation on ischemic cardiopathy and
predisposing risk factors in a large population of female patients in a primary
care setting.
Material and methods: We retrospectively evaluated 754 female patients
(mean age 46±20 years) on data file of a primary care setting. All subjects
requiring medical referral for constipation were screened and presence
of chronic constipation was confirmed by standardized questionnaires. The
presence of clinical and/or instrumental diagnosis of ischemic cardiopathy,
metabolic syndrome, diabetes and blood hypertension was scored in patients
with and without chronic constipation. In all patients the consumption of
drugs potentially delaying colonic transit (calcium channel blockers and
beta blockers) was recorded. Patients on opioid or analgesic treatment were
excluded.
Results: The overall prevalence of chronic constipation was 9.4% (71/754)
with the age being similar in patients with and without constipation (46±19
vs. 51±22, p=NS). The prevalence of metabolic syndrome was significantly
higher in subjects with chronic constipation (5/66 vs 16/667, OR=3.1, 95%
CI 1.1–8.9, p=0.03). Conversely, prevalence of diabetes, blood hypertension,
ischemic cardiopathy was similar in patients with and without constipation
(59/624 vs 10/61; 204/478 vs 28/43; 46/637 vs 6/65, respectively p= all NS).
No significant difference was also observed as far as calcium channel blockers
(64/619 vs 9/62) and beta blockers (81/602 vs 9/62) consumption in patients
with or without constipation respectively.
Conclusions: We showed that chronic constipation is a risk factor for
metabolic syndrome in female patients. Although we did not find any significant
association between chronic constipation and ischemic cardiopathy, our
findings support the hypothesis that constipation may act as cardiovascular
risk factor. Whether this association is dependent on dietary or hormonal
factors deserves further investigation
