Prevalence and Risk Factors of Constipation in Trauma Patients: A Prospective Cohort Study

Hospitalized patients are well described as having a high prevalence of constipation. While the risks associated with constipation in trauma patients are well known, the prevalence rate is not.

This study aims to measure the prevalence of constipation and associated risk factors in trauma patients.

This study is a single-center analytic cross-sectional study on constipation in hospitalized trauma patients aged 18-65 years, admitted from January 2021 to July 2021 to the trauma service at The Royal Melbourne Hospital, a Level I major trauma and teaching hospital servicing the state of Victoria, Australia. Exclusion criteria include patients with traumatic brain injury, blunt or penetrating abdominal or spinal injuries, pregnancy, and gastrointestinal comorbidities.

A total of N = 99 patients were studied, of which n = 78 (78.8%) were male with a median (interquartile range) age of 46 years (33-58). The overall prevalence of constipation was 76%. The univariate analysis demonstrated higher constipation rates in males and patients with multisystem injuries. However, in the multivariate analysis, mode of toileting and mobility were not associated with constipation after adjusting for confounding factors.

This study demonstrated a high prevalence of constipation in all trauma patients. There is a strong association between the development of constipation in patients with multisystem injuries when compared to those with single system.