Active clinical trials for "Constipation"

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effects of Functional Magnetic stimulation (FMS) on gastrointestinal motility in patients suffering from chronic constipation due to non-neurological issues.

The investigators performed a 8-week, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled human trial to evaluate the efficacy and safety of Fig paste on functional constipation. The investigators measured colon transit time, frequency of defecation, defecation time, stool type, and abdominal discomfort.

The purpose of this study is to determine if docusate is effective in the treatment of constipation in palliative care patients.

Polydextrose (PDX) (8-30g/day) has been reported to increase faecal bulk and consistency, leading to easier stool passage in healthy subjects. Studies on its effect on defaecation frequency and colonic transit time have provided mixed results. The primary objective was to investigate the effect of PDX consumption by mildly constipated subjects on faecal bulk, measured as total faecal wet weight of 4-day collections. Secondary outcomes (faecal dry weight, defaecation frequency, stool consistency, ease of stool passage, total colonic transit time and gastrointestinal symptoms) were also explored. 51 subjects participated in a 4-week, two-center, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel study testing a control (CON) and a PDX treatment (18 g/d included in biscuits and drink mixtures)

Gastrointestinal discomfort regularly affects >25% of the population worldwide. One of the major contributors to GI discomfort is constipation, which has a prevalence of ~15% and symptoms of which have a significant negative impact on the sufferer's quality of life. One of the hallmarks of chronic constipation is slow progression of contents through the gut (i.e. slow gut / colonic transit time), which may be associated with hard stools that are difficult to expel. Dietary fiber supplements are widely used as a first-line treatment for constipation although little Level 1 evidence exists to support its use in adults. The effectiveness of different fiber supplements is difficult to compare given wide differences in water-retention capabilities and effects on the colonic microbial ecology. Given the promising, yet largely unsubstantiated, benefits of fiber supplementation on symptoms of functional constipation, the objective of this clinical trial is to evaluate tolerance and effectiveness of four week supplementation of a fiber product, in a dose-ranging fashion, on whole gut transit time and gastrointestinal symptoms in adults with functional constipation.

Constipation treatment has been found to ameliorate symptoms in some patients with lower urinary tract dysfunction (including day time or combined day time/night time urinary incontinence). This study aims to explore if treatment of patients without overt constipation (As defined by the ROME III criteria) will also respond to anti-constipation treatment with reduction of their urinary tract symptoms. Assessment of severity and response of lower urinary tract dysfunction will be based on the Vancouver NULTD/DES questionnaire.

Kennedy et al, in a study of pediatric Emergency Department (ED) use by newborns less than 14 days of age, revealed that half of all visits in this population were non-acute problems. Other pediatric ED utilization studies have shown similar findings in that 32% to 72% of all visits were for non-urgent problems. Many studies have found that primiparity and young maternal age are associated with non-acute ED presentations. A recent factor that has been investigated is the effect of early neonatal discharge. Some other factors are nonwhite mothers and mothers on Medicaid. Zandieh et al, found additional predisposing determinants for non-urgent ED visits, such as single parenthood, Hispanic ethnicity, and having perceptions that their child's overall physical health was poor. Paradis et al found that parents receiving a video intervention rated higher confidence with specific infant care skills and reported feeling better prepared to care for their baby, compared to parents receiving only handouts. However, there isn't any reported study that evaluates the benefits of receiving both, a video intervention along with handouts. Aim: to demonstrate whether conducting anticipatory guidance related to non-urgent problems will reduce non-urgent ED visits, compared to care as usual (CAU) anticipatory guidance (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome and Shaken Baby Syndrome videos; and unstructured talk about jaundice, vaccinations, appointments, care of umbilical stump, normal urination and bowel movement, fever).

Constipation in children is a common problem. Managing these children is difficult, partly because they do not respond to laxatives and partly because their bowel problem cannot be defined. A "gut transit time" test can add information to help choose the best therapy but this is often not carried out because of the unsuitable radiation dose involved in the current methods such as X-ray. A new Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) method to measure gut transit time using inert mini-capsules, the size of small pine nuts, has recently been developed. This study is the first feasibility test of the new mini-capsules in paediatric constipation. 25 patients and 25 healthy controls will participate. The study will measure gut transit time using MRI and the mini-capsules before and after the young patients receive standard treatment.

HYPOTHESIS: Is MiraLAX an effective treatment of pediatric urinary urge syndrome? OBJECTIVE: Polyethylene glycol (PEG) is common first-line therapy for urinary symptoms despite minimal evidence-based support. We performed a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study of PEG for initial treatment of urinary urge symptoms. SUMMARY: Only patients of investigators and sub-investigators will be recruited for this study. Children with urinary incontinence, urinary frequency, diurnal incontinence, Urinary Tract Infection (UTI) and/or reflux validated by bladder/bowel symptom questionnaire to have Urge Syndrome (US) are eligible for this study. A standardized questionnaire of bowel/bladder activity will be administered and a KUB obtained as standard of care at entry to the study. A standard 1-day voiding diary will be completed at home before beginning therapy. To exclude patients potentially still in the process of toilet training, only subjects 4 years of age and older will be studied. Other exclusion criteria will include known neurological disorders, a diagnosis of attention deficit disorder, bladder symptoms less than 6 months in duration at presentation, other bladder dysfunctions besides US, a history of anorectal malformation and pregnancy. Based upon prior experience that patients with encopresis were not likely to achieve improved stooling with only a few weeks of laxative therapy, they will also be excluded. Those accepted into the study will be randomized to receive either laxative or placebo once daily for one month. Preparation of the laxative and placebo and patient randomization will be performed by the Children's Medical Center Investigational Drug Pharmacist. Premixed study medications will be available at the Urology clinic ready to be dispensed to the patient by the study coordinator after being screened and randomized. Dosage includes children age 4-6 years (8.5 gms) and children 7-10 years (17gms). The medication will be divided into daily doses by the Investigational Pharmacist. Written and verbal instructions, both in English and Spanish, will be provided to the parents/guardian of the subjects. The Investigational Drug Pharmacist will be blinded to all patient data, and physicians and nurses evaluating patients will be blinded to randomization of these patients to laxative versus placebo arms.

This is a prospective, descriptive, observational research study designed to observe and document the clinical practice by domain experts, and how the knowledge of new findings that are published in the medical literature affect clinical decision making. The study will evaluate risk factors and co-variants, including genetic variants that are associated with disease progression such as pain, inflammation, organ dysfunction, disability and quality of life.