This is an automatically translated article.
Article written by Master, Doctor Tran Thi Diem Trang - Department of Medical Examination & Internal Medicine - Vinmec Central Park International General Hospital
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease is a common disease in the elderly and leaves many dangerous complications, including constipation. In fact, because the elderly often have a mentality of eating less fiber, chewing food poorly and not drinking enough water, causing prolonged indigestion and constipation.
1. Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease is a noun used to refer to a medical condition of the airways characterized by an obstruction of the airways that is not fully reversible. This airway obstruction is usually progressive. About 85% of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease is chronic bronchitis, 15% mainly emphysema. .
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease is a very common disease group in the world as well as in Vietnam. Accordingly, the disease is divided into 4 stages from mild to severe based on measuring respiratory function, FEV1 index. Stage 4 is the most severe stage, respiratory function is very low, patients always feel short of breath even in daily activities, their quality of life is seriously affected. The patient has difficulty breathing even with personal hygiene, if the patient is constipated, the more serious the effect, the more difficult it is to breathe, sometimes requiring hospitalization in an exacerbation.
Often called constipation when there are more than 3 bowel movements in a week, often accompanied by solid stools, difficult to pass.
Constipation can have many causes, but in people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, constipation that makes them have to work hard to breathe can have an exacerbation.
2. Causes of constipation
Some of the main causes of constipation are as follows:
Hirschsprung's disease Endocrine: hypothyroidism, hyperparathyroidism, pregnancy Diverticula disease, intestinal pseudo-obstruction Autoimmune disease: scleroderma, amyloidosis Toxic colon Drugs: opiate, anticholinergic, antidepressant. Hypokalemia, Mg, Ca in the blood Tumors, stenosis Nerve: spinal cord injury, sacral plexus injury, Parkinson's disease, irritable bowel syndrome. Psychological: depression, disordered eating habits. Here, we only talk about functional constipation.
Trầm cảm có thể gây ra táo bón
3. Why are patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease often constipated?
3.1 Geological factors
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease is common in the elderly, they may have a habit of eating less fiber, not chewing properly due to dental disease), not drinking enough water, so it is easy to cause constipation.
Some elderly or seriously ill patients who need the support of others in daily activities may have the mentality of "afraid" to have a bowel movement. Whenever there is a feeling of urination, you try to endure it, so the stools in the colon are concentrated, distended, and for a long time reduce the response of the stimulus receptors, which easily causes constipation.
3.2. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease factor
Patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease may lose more water through breathing and perspiration (due to difficulty breathing). On the other hand, poor eating status (due to illness) and the fear of eating a lot can make the stomach stretch, causing difficulty in breathing, causing dehydration, causing stools to be concentrated and causing constipation.
Hospitalized patients can be affected by changes in daily living environment, sharing treatment with unfamiliar people, sharing toilets, changing eating and hygiene habits are also easy to cause. cause constipation.
In addition, a number of other factors can contribute to constipation such as fever, medication.
4. Effect of constipation on patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
Constipation can cause abdominal pain, feeling of bloating, obstructing breathing, making it more difficult to breathe. On the other hand, constipation and the use of anti-constipation drugs can affect the absorption of some drugs for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
Strenuous bowel movements due to constipation can cause shortness of breath and respiratory failure. Because bowel movements cause shortness of breath, patients may reduce the number of meals and bowel movements. Thereby creating a pathological spiral.
Táo bón gây suy hô hấp
5. Preventing constipation in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
To prevent constipation, people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and normal people should do a few things:
Should eat enough nutrients and fiber. It is advisable to divide meals daily to ensure adequate supply of necessary energy and avoid the feeling of abdominal distension caused by eating, causing difficulty breathing. Should drink enough water and should use a bottle with a capacity of 1.5 - 2 liters containing drinking water to drink gradually throughout the day (unless otherwise indicated by the doctor). Make it a habit to have bowel movements on time. Regular daily exercise also contributes to improving health and avoiding constipation. The treatment regimen for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease should be adhered to to reduce the number of exacerbations and maintain respiratory function. Should notify the doctor if there is constipation for guidance and use the medicine (if necessary) for reasonable. Constipation is a disease that not only causes discomfort to ordinary people but also leaves many serious dangers to people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Therefore, in order to minimize complications, people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease need to follow the doctor's instructions as well as implement methods to prevent constipation.
Vinmec International General Hospital is the address for examination, prevention and treatment of many diseases of the digestive tract and respiratory tract. With a team of qualified, experienced medical professionals and a system of modern equipment, perfect medical services will bring satisfaction to customers.
Customers can directly go to Vinmec Health system nationwide to visit or contact the hotline here for support.
