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Q How effective and safe are various medical therapies in patients with chronic constipation?
METHODS
Data sources:
Medline (1966–2004) and bibliographies of relevant studies and reviews.
Study selection and assessment:
randomised controlled trials (RCTs) that compared medical therapies with placebo or compared 2 separate agents in adults with constipation. Assessment of study quality was done using a 5 point score (5 = highest quality) based on randomisation procedure, allocation concealment, blinding, and completeness of follow up.
Outcomes:
stool frequency, stool consistency, straining, use of additional laxatives, ease of defecation, and side effects.
MAIN RESULTS
Laxatives evaluated were osmotic laxatives (eg, polyethylene …
Footnotes
A modified version of this abstract appears in ACP Journal Club.
For correspondence: Dr S S Rao, University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine, Iowa City, IA, USA. satish-raouiowa.edu
Source of funding: Novartis Pharmaceuticals.