Constipation in pediatric patients with Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms

Objective: To determine the frequency of constipation in patients with pediatric age group presenting with Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms (LUTS). Study Design: Descriptive study. Place and Duration of Study: Outpatient Department of Urology in Pakistan Kidney Institute at Shifa International Hospital, Islamabad, from November 2012 to February 2014. Methodology: Two hundred pediatric patients presenting with Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms (LUTS) were studied in terms of age, gender, obstructive and irritative types of LUTS along with any associated symptoms. Constipation was assessed by Bristol stool chart in these patients. Patients with exstrophy of bladder were excluded from the study. Descriptive statistics were measured for both qualitative and quantitative variables. For qualitative variables like gender, presenting symptoms, constipation and stool types, percentages and frequencies were calculated. For quantitative variables like age, percentages / mean ±SD were calculated. Results: Mean age was 6.87 ±3.64 years with a range of 2 - 14 years. Constipation was found in 37.5% of the pediatric patients with lower urinary tract symptoms. Conclusion: Constipation is frequent and overlooked problem in pediatric patients having urinary symptoms. Irritative lower urinary tract symptoms are more common. Children up to 5 years of age are the most common sufferers. Knowing the burden of constipation in such patients can help physicians in better treatment of such cases.