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

Corrêa Neto, Isaac José Felippe; Silva, Alisson de Lucena; Tajiri, Renato Cardoso de Melo; Theis, Cláudia; Schelle, Gabriela; Pinto, Rodrigo Ambar; Nishiyama, Victor Keniti Gomes; Robles, Laercio

doi:10.1055/s-0043-1764193

Acessibilidade / Reportar erro

Brasil

Journal of Coloproctology (Rio de Janeiro)

Español English

Brasil

Español English

sumário « anterior atual seguinte »

Sumário

Original Article • J Coloproctol 43 (1) • Jan-Mar 2023 • https://doi.org/10.1055/s-0043-1764193 copy

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

Authorship SCIMAGO INSTITUTIONS RANKINGS

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

	Prepandemic	During pandemic
Self-declared CC	27.8%	37.3%
CC according to ROME III¹⁰10 Longstreth GF, Thompson WG, Chey WD, Houghton LA, Mearin F, Spiller RC. Functional bowel disorders. Gastroenterology 2006; 130(05):1480–1491 (≥ 2)	34.1%	42.1%
Feces consistence among nonconstipated students¹³13 Lewis SJ, Heaton KW. Stool form scale as a useful guide to intestinal transit time. Scand J Gastroenterol 1997;32(09): 920–924	Bristol 1 or 2: 24.2% Bristol 3 or 4: 69.2% Bristol 5, 6 or 7: 6.6%	Bristol 1 or 2: 17.8% Bristol 3 or 4: 67% Bristol 5, 6 or 7: 15.2%
Feces consistence among constipated students¹³13 Lewis SJ, Heaton KW. Stool form scale as a useful guide to intestinal transit time. Scand J Gastroenterol 1997;32(09): 920–924	Bristol 1 or 2: 51.4% Bristol 3 or 4: 34.3% Bristol 5, 6 or 7: 14.3%	Bristol 1 or 2: 68.1% Bristol 3 or 4: 17% Bristol 5, 6 or 7: 14.9%
Consistence of dry feces (Bristol 1 or 2)¹³13 Lewis SJ, Heaton KW. Stool form scale as a useful guide to intestinal transit time. Scand J Gastroenterol 1997;32(09): 920–924	40 (31.75%)	45 (35.71%)
Concordance between the self-declared and the objective diagnosis using the ROME III criteria¹⁰10 Longstreth GF, Thompson WG, Chey WD, Houghton LA, Mearin F, Spiller RC. Functional bowel disorders. Gastroenterology 2006; 130(05):1480–1491	84.1%	80.9%

Sociedade Brasileira de Coloproctologia Av. Marechal Câmara, 160/916, 20020-080 Rio de Janeiro/RJ Brasil, Tel.: (55 21) 2240-8927, Fax: (55 21) 2220-5803 - Rio de Janeiro - RJ - Brazil
E-mail: sbcp@sbcp.org.br

Acompanhe os números deste periódico no seu leitor de RSS

[1] Address for correspondence Isaac José Felippe Corrêa Neto, MsC, PhD, Santa Marcelina Hospital, Santa Marcelina College, São Paulo-SP, Brazil (e-mail: isaacneto@hotmail.com).