CoChat
Sign Up
Cited by 72Gastrointestinal motility and disordersPelvic floor disorders treatmentsCongenital gastrointestinal and neural anomalies

Relation of Colonic Transit to Functional Bowel Disease in Older People: A Population‐Based Study

Evans, Jonathan M., Fleming, Kevin C., Talley, Nicholas J., Schleck, Cathy D., Zinsmeister, Alan R., Melton, L Joseph·1998·Journal of the American Geriatrics Society
DOI 10.1111/j.1532-5415.1998.tb01018.x
Open this paper in CoChat — free account

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: The pathophysiology underlying chronic constipation in older people is poorly understood. Our objective was to determine if functional bowel disease (particularly constipation) in this population is associated with risk factors (age, immobility, low dietary fiber intake, and medication use) or directly with slow colonic transit. METHODS: A previously validated questionnaire was administered to a random sample of older residents (age range 65–104 years, n = 1609) of Olmsted County, MN. A random subset who met standard diagnostic criteria for functional constipation (n = 52) or irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) (n = 55) and a group without gastrointestinal symptoms (n = 93) were selected for further study. Each subject underwent structured interview and physical examination. Total caloric and fiber intake were assessed by dietitian interview, a food frequency questionnaire, and a food diary. Physical activity was assessed using a previously validated instrument. Medication use was determined by self‐report, physician interview, and review of medical records. Total and segmental colonic transit was assessed radiographically using radio‐opaque markers. RESULTS: Total colonic transit times were prolonged in subjects with functional constipation (median 50.4 hours) but not in subjects with IBS (median 34.2 hours) or in healthy controls (median 28.8 hours); however, only rectosigmoid transit was delayed significantly. Age, gender, physical activity, and dietary fiber intake were not associated with total transit times, nor could they discriminate among the three patient groups. Laxative use was associated with prolonged total transit times independent of patient group. CONCLUSIONS: Older subjects can be classified by abdominal pain and bowel symptoms, which reflect colonic transit times. Older subjects with constipation symptoms generally have prolonged rectosigmoid transit. Other potential risk factors do not distinguish symptom subgroups, nor are they associated with altered colonic transit although older people who use laxatives regularly have prolonged colonic transit.

Integrity signals

Registry

Crossref · 10.1111/j.1532-5415.1998.tb01018.x

Cites

19 of 19 references verified0 citation errors · 0 not checkable

Statistics

Recomputing p-values needs the paper’s full text.

Claims the paper makes

This paper’s full text isn’t openly available, so its claims and self-check weren’t run. The registry and citation checks still apply.

Claims other papers make about this one

Each is checked against this paper’s own text: does it say what the citing paper says it does?

Cites

Flagged first, then by citations

Cited by

Sorted by citations

Related

Authors
Evans, J. M., Fleming, K. C., Talley, N. J., Schleck, C. D., Zinsmeister, A. R., & Melton, L. J.
Affiliations
  • Mayo Clinic (US)
  • The University of Sydney (AU)
Corresponding author
Evans, Jonathan M.
ORCID
Venue
Journal of the American Geriatrics Society
Publisher
Wiley
Published
1998-01
Volume
46
Issue
1
Pages
83-87
ISSN
  • 0002-8614 (ISSN-L)
  • 1532-5415
DOI
10.1111/j.1532-5415.1998.tb01018.x
OpenAlex
W2006744757
Cited by
72
References
19
Citations by year
2025: 1 · 2024: 2 · 2023: 1 · 2021: 2 · 2019: 1 · 2018: 1 · 2017: 1 · 2016: 2 · 2015: 3 · 2014: 1 · 2013: 1 · 2012: 1
FWCI
3.16
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
closed
Licence
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/termsAndConditions#vor (vor, 6325 d)
Locations
  • Journal of the American Geriatrics Society (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
Funders
  • National Institute on Aging (AG 09440)
  • National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (R01AR030582, AR30582)
Topics
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Gastroenterology › Gastrointestinal motility and disorders
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Rheumatology › Pelvic floor disorders treatments
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Surgery › Congenital gastrointestinal and neural anomalies
Keywords
colonic transit, functional constipation, irritable bowel syndrome, older adults, laxative use, dietary fiber intake, physical activity, immobility, risk factors
MeSH terms
Cathartics, Chronic Disease, Colon, Colonic Diseases, Functional, Constipation, Dietary Fiber, Gastrointestinal Transit, Humans, Rectum, Risk Factors, Sampling Studies, Case-Control Studies

About these checks

Registry, retraction, Cites and statistics results are computed, not judged, with one exception: a printed reference that no index lists is read once by a model before it counts as a citation error. Claims are extracted by a model and kept only when their quote appears verbatim in the text; each cited source is then checked, with a model’s help, for whether it says what the claim relies on. Those verdicts can be wrong — read the claim’s quote and the cited source before relying on one.

Statistics and arithmetic are recomputed, not judged.

Confidence bands are shown only for fields calibrated on our annotated test set. None is calibrated yet, so no band is shown.

What counts as a claim ›How we measure confidence ›How we check this ›

Are you an author, or do you see a problem with this page? Request a review