- Title
- A Prospective Study to Investigate Contributory Factors That Lead to Constipation in Palliative Care Patients
- Creator
- Clark, Katherine; Lam, Lawrence; Currow, David C.; Agar, Meera
- Relation
- Journal of Pain and Symptom Management Vol. 47, Issue 6, p. E1-E4
- Publisher Link
- http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jpainsymman.2014.01.005
- Publisher
- Elsevier
- Resource Type
- journal article
- Date
- 2014
- Description
- Despite the prevalence of constipation in hospice/palliative care patients, attributable risk factors remain poorly codified. Although opioids are commonly cited, very little attention has been paid to exploring other variables prospectively and objectively. Thus far, only retrospective reports correlate medications with anticholinergic side effects and opioids,1 functional status, and overall frailty with laxative prescription in this cohort. This dearth of data is concerning, especially when compared with the rigor with which other symptoms in palliative care with comparative multifactorial etiologies have been considered. For example, it is well accepted that there are many factors that contribute to breathlessness, and much work details the need to consider objectively such factors when palliating this symptom. Here, we report the results of a bivariate analysis undertaken to consider whether there are specific clinicodemographic variables that contribute to the prescription of laxatives. Furthermore, this work begins a more in-depth exploration of the constipating effects of medications with anticholinergic effects, which include opioids. This is particularly important, given the number of medications prescribed in palliative care that have anticholinergic properties.
- Subject
- constipation; palliative care; risk factors
- Identifier
- http://hdl.handle.net/1959.13/1293505
- Identifier
- uon:18615
- Identifier
- ISSN:0885-3924
- Language
- eng
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