Download PDF
CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 · Journal of Coloproctology 2023; 43(01): 030-035
DOI: 10.1055/s-0043-1764193
Original Article

Incidence of Intestinal Constipation During the COVID-19 Pandemic Period in Medical Students from a Private Institution in São Paulo, SP

Isaac José Felippe Corrêa Neto 
1   Coloproctology Service, Hospital Santa Marcelina, Faculdade Santa Marcelina, São Paulo, SP, Brazil
,
Alisson de Lucena Silva
2   Coloproctology service, Santa Marcelina College, São Paulo, SP, Brazil
,
Renato Cardoso de Melo Tajiri
2   Coloproctology service, Santa Marcelina College, São Paulo, SP, Brazil
,
Cláudia Theis
3   Coloproctology Service, Hospital Santa Marcelina, São Paulo, SP, Brazil
,
Gabriela Schelle
3   Coloproctology Service, Hospital Santa Marcelina, São Paulo, SP, Brazil
,
Rodrigo Ambar Pinto
4   Coloproctology Service, Gastroenterology Department, Faculty of Medicine, Hospital das Clínicas, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, Brazil
,
Victor Keniti Gomes Nishiyama
5   General Surgery Department, Hospital Santa Marcelina, São Paulo, SP, Brazil
,
Laercio Robles
6   Coloproctology Service, Hospital Santa Marcelina, Faculdade Santa Marcelina, São Paulo, SP, Brazil
› Author Affiliations
› Further Information
   Permissions and Reprints

Abstract

Introduction Chronic intestinal constipation (CIC) presents an incidence of 2.6 to 30.7% in the overall population and due to the social reality imposed by the coronavirus pandemic, some behavior changes in the Brazilian population occurred that might or not be associated with alterations of CIC prevalence.

Objective To assess CIC incidence in medical students before and during the COVID-19 pandemic in Brazil in a private higher educational institution in the city of São Paulo, state of São Paulo.

Methods Clinic data were collected through Google Forms software from the same students seeking to analyze the variables before (year of 2019) and during the coronavirus pandemic. The data were: age, sex, body mass index, constipation referred in a subjective way and confirmed through the ROME III criteria, feces consistency and anxiety and/or depression during the pandemic.

Results A total of 126 medical students from a private higher education institution from São Paulo, SP were included. The average age was 22.9 years old, 70.6% were female and the average BMI was 23.3 kg/m2. Regarding the ROME III criteria, 32.5% presented > 2 in 2019 and 42.1% during the pandemic. Concerning the feces consistency, 31.75 and 35.71% presented dry Bristol 1 feces or in both periods, respectively.

Conclusion It was observed an increase in the prevalence of chronic intestinal constipation in medical students from a private higher education institution from São Paulo, state of São Paulo, during the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as dryness in the feces.

Keywords

chronic intestinal constipation - coronavirus pandemic - medical students - ROME criteria - feces consistency


Publication History

Received: 19 November 2022

Accepted: 23 January 2023

Article published online:
22 March 2023

© 2023. Sociedade Brasileira de Coloproctologia. This is an open access article published by Thieme under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonDerivative-NonCommercial License, permitting copying and reproduction so long as the original work is given appropriate credit. Contents may not be used for commercial purposes, or adapted, remixed, transformed or built upon. (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/)

Thieme Revinter Publicações Ltda.
Rua do Matoso 170, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, CEP 20270-135, Brazil

 

  • References

  • 1 Suares NC, Ford AC. Prevalence of, and risk factors for, chronic idiopathic constipation in the community: systematic review and meta-analysis. Am J Gastroenterol 2011; 106 (09) 1582-1591 , quiz 1581, 1592
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 2 Corrêa Neto IJF, Mosca Neto M, Lanfranchi VS. et al. Study of defecation disorders in elderly patients. J Coloproctol (Rio J) 2020; 40 (03) 273-277
    Article in Thieme ConnectGoogle Scholar
  • 3 Corrêa Neto IJF, Maneira ALC, Teixeira NB. et al. There is an agreement between constipation referred and that documented by objective criteria?. J Coloproctol (Rio J) 2016; 36 (03) 153-156
    Article in Thieme ConnectGoogle Scholar
  • 4 Corrêa Neto IJF. Avaliação funcional da evacuação obstruída. J Coloproctol (Rio J) 2018; 38 (02) 2-3
    CrossrefGoogle Scholar
  • 5 Schmidt FMQ, Santos VLCG. Prevalence of constipation in the general adult population: an integrative review. J Wound Ostomy Continence Nurs 2014; 41 (01) 70-76 , quiz E1–E2
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 6 Pare P, Ferrazzi S, Thompson WG, Irvine EJ, Rance L. An epidemiological survey of constipation in canada: definitions, rates, demographics, and predictors of health care seeking. Am J Gastroenterol 2001; 96 (11) 3130-3137
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 7 Sobrado CW, Corrêa Neto IJF, Pinto RA, Sobrado LF, Nahas SC, Cecconello I. Diagnosis and treatment of constipation: a clinical update based on the Rome IV criteria. J Coloproctol (Rio J) 2018; 38 (02) 137-4
    Article in Thieme ConnectGoogle Scholar
  • 8 Drossman DA. The functional gastrointestinal disorders and the Rome II process. Gut 1999; 45 Suppl 2 (Suppl. 02) II1-II5
    PubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 9 Drossman DA. Functional Gastrointestinal Disorders: History, Pathophysiology, Clinical Features and Rome IV. Gastroenterology 2016; 150 (06) 1262-1279
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 10 Longstreth GF, Thompson WG, Chey WD, Houghton LA, Mearin F, Spiller RC. Functional bowel disorders. Gastroenterology 2006; 130 (05) 1480-1491
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 11 Jaime RP, Campos RDC, Santos TST, Marques MS. Prevalência e fatores de risco da constipação intestinal em universitários de uma instituição particular de Goiânia, GO. Rev Inst Ciênc Saúde. 2009; 27 (04) 378-383
    Google Scholar
  • 12 Peçanha T, Goessler KF, Roschel H, Gualano B. Social isolation during the COVID-19 pandemic can increase physical inactivity and the global burden of cardiovascular disease. Am J Physiol Heart Circ Physiol 2020; 318 (06) H1441-H1446
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 13 Lewis SJ, Heaton KW. Stool form scale as a useful guide to intestinal transit time. Scand J Gastroenterol 1997; 32 (09) 920-924
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 14 Naeem SS, Siddiqui EU, Kazi AN, Memon AA, Khan ST, Ahmed B. Prevalence and factors associated with irritable bowel syndrome among medical students of Karachi, Pakistan: a cross-sectional study. BMC Res Notes 2012; 5: 255-260
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 15 Ibrahim NK, Battarjee WF, Almehmadi SA. Prevalence and predictors of irritable bowel syndrome among medical students and interns in King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah. Libyan J Med 2013; 8 (01) 21287
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 16 Dong YY, Zuo XL, Li CQ, Yu YB, Zhao QJ, Li YQ. Prevalence of irritable bowel syndrome in Chinese college and university students assessed using Rome III criteria. World J Gastroenterol 2010; 16 (33) 4221-4226
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 17 Okami Y, Kato T, Nin G. et al. Lifestyle and psychological factors related to irritable bowel syndrome in nursing and medical school students. J Gastroenterol 2011; 46 (12) 1403-1410
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 18 Trisóglio C, Marchi CM, Torres US, Netinho JG. Prevalência de Constipação Intestinal entre Estudantes de Medicina de uma Instituição no Noroeste Paulista. Rev Bras Coloproctol 2010; 30 (02) 203-209
    CrossrefGoogle Scholar
  • 19 Ziani MM, Castro AAM, Lara S. Prevalência de constipação intestinal em estudantes da área da saúde. Rev Saúde. 2015; 41 (01) 201-208
    Google Scholar
  • 20 Chu L, Zhou H, Lü B, Li M, Chen MY. [An epidemiological study of functional bowel disorders in Zhejiang college students and its relationship with psychological factors]. Zhonghua Nei Ke Za Zhi 2012; 51 (06) 429-432
    PubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 21 Goyal O, Nohria S, Dhaliwal AS. et al. Prevalence, overlap, and risk factors for Rome IV functional gastrointestinal disorders among college students in northern India. Indian J Gastroenterol 2021; 40 (02) 144-153
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 22 Khatri PK, Ali AD, Alzadjali N, Bhagia G, Khaliqdina SJ, Aziz S. Frequency of functional constipation in 3 different populations and its causative factors. J Pak Med Assoc 2011; 61 (11) 1149-1152
    PubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 23 Lee IS, Wang H, Chae Y, Preissl H, Enck P. Functional neuroimaging studies in functional dyspepsia patients: a systematic review. Neurogastroenterol Motil 2016; 28 (06) 793-805
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 24 Hazlett-Stevens H, Craske MG, Mayer EA, Chang L, Naliboff BD. Prevalence of irritable bowel syndrome among university students: the roles of worry, neuroticism, anxiety sensitivity and visceral anxiety. J Psychosom Res 2003; 55 (06) 501-505
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 25 Gallas S, Knaz H, Methnani J. et al. Prevalence and risk factors of functional gastrointestinal disorders in early period medical students: a pilot study in Tunisia. Libyan J Med 2022; 17 (01) 2082029
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 26 De Aquino FDM, Costa CR, De Aguiar DX, Costa NM. Prevalência da constipação intestinal em acadêmicos de medicina de uma instituição particular do estado de Tocantins, Brasil. Rev Cienc Salud 2020; 10 (02) 63-68
    Google Scholar
  • 27 Bomfim IQ, Nunes LS, Alves TC. Prevalência de constipação intestinal em estudantes de fisioterapia de uma universidade de Maceió/AL. Rev Ciênc Méd Biol 2017; 16 (01) 79-84
    Google Scholar
  • 28 Braz CRS, Lessa NMV. Fatores de risco e prevalência de constipação intestinal em graduandos do curso de nutrição de um centro universitário de Minas Gerais. Rev Digi tNutr 2011; 5 (08) 740-754
    Google Scholar
  • 29 Brunoni AR, Suen PJC, Bacchi PS. et al. Prevalence and risk factors of psychiatric symptoms and diagnoses before and during the COVID-19 pandemic: findings from the ELSA-Brasil COVID-19 mental health cohort. Psychol Med 2021; 21: 1-12
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 30 Chang JJ, Ji Y, Li YH, Pan HF, Su PY. Prevalence of anxiety symptom and depressive symptom among college students during COVID-19 pandemic: A meta-analysis. J Affect Disord 2021; 292: 242-254
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 31 Kayaoglu SA, Sert OZ. Constipation in the period of limited isolation during COVID-19 pandemic. Rev Assoc Med Bras 2022; 68 (02) 196-201
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 32 Remes-Troche JM, Coss-Adame E, Amieva-Balmori M. et al. Incidence of 'new-onset' constipation and associated factors during lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic. BMJ Open Gastroenterol 2021; 8 (01) 1-9
    Google Scholar
  • 33 Barbosa IJ, Silva KCA, Souza MLR. Associação entre o consumo de fibras e a constipação intestinal em idosos de uma instituição de longa permanência. Rev Bras Obes. Nutrição e Emagrecimento. 2021; 15 (96) 871-882
    Google Scholar
  • 34 Hamid AMARMI, Dos Santos C, da Silva Schlickmann D. et al. Intestinal transit rhythm and associated factors during the COVID-19 pandemic: A pilot study. Clin Nutr ESPEN 2022; 48: 220-226
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 35 Santos KM, Martins ML, Nascimento GNL. Avaliação dos aspectos dietéticos e investigação do uso de Senna Alexandrina no tratamento de quadros de constipação intestinal. Rev Ceres 2021; 13 (03) 168-183
    Google Scholar
  • 36 Lemay DG, Baldiviez LM, Chin EL. et al. Technician-Scored Stool Consistency Spans the Full Range of the Bristol Scale in a Healthy US Population and Differs by Diet and Chronic Stress Load. J Nutr 2021; 151 (06) 1443-1452
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 37 Muñoz SRL, Santos LA, Martins MMC. et al. Constipação intestinal e fatores associados em estudantes universitários da área de saúde. Rev Salusvita 2016; 35 (03) 351-366
    Google Scholar
  • 38 Son C, Hegde S, Smith A, Wang X, Sasangohar F. Effects of COVID-19 on College Students' Mental Health in the United States: Interview Survey Study. J Med Internet Res 2020; 22 (09) e21279
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 39 Wang X, Hegde S, Son C, Keller B, Smith A, Sasangohar F. Investigating Mental Health of US College Students During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Cross-Sectional Survey Study. J Med Internet Res 2020; 22 (09) e22817
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 40 Savitsky B, Findling Y, Ereli A, Hendel T. Anxiety and coping strategies among nursing students during the covid-19 pandemic. Nurse Educ Pract 2020; 46: 102809
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 41 Mayer EA, Labus J, Aziz Q. et al. Role of brain imaging in disorders of brain-gut interaction: a Rome Working Team Report. Gut 2019; 68 (09) 1701-1715
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 42 Fond G, Loundou A, Hamdani N. et al. Anxiety and depression comorbidities in irritable bowel syndrome (IBS): a systematic review and meta-analysis. Eur Arch Psychiatry Clin Neurosci 2014; 264 (08) 651-660
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 43 Cabral BA, Macedo IC, Vieira LP. Análise do consumo alimentar de professores e a prevalência de alterações intestinais no contexto da pandemia pelo COVID-19. Revista Ibero-Americana de Humanidades, Ciências e Educação 2021; 7 (12) 1404-1415
    CrossrefGoogle Scholar