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Continuous laxative use and its relationship to defecation among residents of nursing homes: A longitudinal
Manami Takaoka1, Ayumi Igarashi1, Ayako Ninomiya2
1Department of Gerontological Home Care and Long-term Care Nursing, The University of Tokyo, Bunkyo-ku, Japan.
Aim:
To clarify the association between constipation, diarrhea, and long-term laxative use in Japanese nursing home residents.
Methods:
Data from 306 residents with chronic constipation aged over 75 years for basic characteristics, medication use, activities of daily living, and concurrent illness were collected via two consecutive 6-monthly surveys conducted using the Japanese interRAI assessment tool. We used bivariate and multivariate analyses to examine the associations between chronic constipation, diarrhea, and continuous laxative use.
Results:
Chronic constipation persisted in 74.5% of residents despite their continuous use of laxatives. Additionally, 14.4% experienced chronic diarrhea while on laxatives. Residents using salt laxatives had significantly lower chronic constipation than those not using salt laxatives (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] 0.52), while residents using novel laxatives had significantly higher chronic diarrhea than those not using novel laxatives (AOR 4.28).
Conclusions:
Our findings reveal that bowel movement-related problems remain a concern and highlight the need for further research on the use of novel laxatives in nursing home residents. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2024; 24: 133-139.
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