Is enema effective for constipation

Constipation is a disease with a relatively high incidence rate. If constipation is severe, it will not only affect the patient's physical health, but also reduce the patient's quality of life. Therefore, if you find symptoms of constipation, you must seek timely treatment. Enema is a relatively effective way to treat constipation, but it is only used for patients with more severe constipation and the frequency should not be too many. Long-term enema will lead to adverse consequences such as intestinal perforation!

Clinical manifestations of constipation

The prevalence of constipation in the population is as high as 27%, but only a small number of people with constipation will seek medical treatment. Constipation can affect people of all ages. There are more women than men, and more elderly people than young and middle-aged people. Due to the high incidence and complex causes of constipation, patients often suffer from many troubles, and severe constipation can affect their quality of life.

The common symptoms of constipation are: little urge to defecate and infrequent bowel movements; difficult and laborious defecation; uncomfortable defecation; dry and hard stools and a feeling of incomplete defecation; constipation accompanied by abdominal pain or discomfort. Some patients also suffer from mental and psychological disorders such as insomnia, irritability, nightmares, depression, and anxiety.

Since constipation is a relatively common symptom with varying degrees of severity, most people often do not pay special attention to it, thinking that constipation is not a disease and does not require treatment. But in fact, constipation is very harmful. The "alarm" signs of constipation include bloody stools, anemia, weight loss, fever, black stools, abdominal pain, and family history of cancer. If any warning signs appear, you should go to the hospital immediately for further examination.

Are enemas effective for constipation?

Enema is the process of using a catheter to introduce colonic irrigation fluid from the anus through the rectum to achieve the therapeutic purpose of relieving constipation and expelling gas. Modern enema is generally used for the purpose of intestinal cleansing or local drug treatment. In clinical practice, enema is rarely used to treat chronic constipation unless it is particularly acute and severe. Therefore, most people choose oral laxatives. Enema is not used to treat constipation unless it is absolutely necessary, but it is still commonly used as intestinal preparation before surgery.

Doing self-enemas at home is dangerous

There are different treatment methods for different types of functional constipation. For slow-transmission constipation, the goal of treatment is to speed up the "transport" of stool in the intestines. Doctors will prescribe intestinal motility drugs for such patients to speed up intestinal peristalsis. Exercising more and rubbing the abdomen clockwise can also improve symptoms.

For the outlet obstruction type, the treatment goal is to coordinate the transmission of stool with the action of the anal sphincter so that the sphincter opens at the right time. There are comprehensive treatment methods such as psychological counseling and biofeedback.

Some elderly people suffer from constipation all year round and have formed the habit of using showerheads for enema at home. The water poured in is equivalent to a stimulant, which can induce a defecation reflex in the body, so they feel very comfortable after each enema. But doing so is actually dangerous because excessive enema pressure can cause intestinal perforation.