Saturday, April 4, 2026

New-onset constipation at acute stage after stroke: incidence, risk factors, and impact on stroke rehabilitation

Your competent? doctor has been working on this problem for almost a decade, right?

OH NO! Knows nothing AND does nothing!

And your board of directors is so incompetent they can't recognize incompetence in their hospital!

 The incidence of constipation for stroke was 48%.  June 2017

NO PROTOCOLS THAT WILL CURE IT.

 In my non-medical opinion, full physical recovery should lessen this problem immensely!

New-onset constipation at acute stage after stroke: incidence, risk factors, and impact on stroke rehabilitation



  • 1. Tianjin Huanhu Hospital, Tianjin, China

  • 2. National Medical Research Center of Acupuncture and Moxibustion, First Teaching Hospital of Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Nankai, China

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Abstract

    Background: 

    The rapid increase in the global ageing population poses a major public health challenge due to the prevalence of stroke. Constipation represents a significant complication of stroke, significantly impacting quality of life. The objective of this study is to investigate the incidence of constipation in acute stroke and to identify the factors that contribute to new-onset constipation (defined as constipation developing after stroke in patients with no prior history) after stroke 

    Methods: 

    A total of 600 acute stroke patients were recruited for a cross-sectional study, with a questionnaire administered to each participant. This study included demographic characteristics, stroke type and focus, medical history, sleep quality, psychological problems, and the NIHSS and Barthel index (BI). Participants with constipation were evaluated for severity, medications, and stroke outcomes at discharge by the investigators. 

    Results: 

    Of the 600 acute stroke patients, 126 (21%) reported a history of constipation. Furthermore, patients (46.3%) demonstrated post-stroke constipation (PSC), while 184 patients (38.8%) experienced new-onset constipation following their stroke. The results indicated that hemorrhagic stroke, posterior circulation stroke, diabetes, osmotic diuretics, antacids, use of bedpans, Difficulty falling asleep, depression, and a higher NIHSS score at admission were significant risk factors for new-onset constipation. In patients demonstrating moderate severity, PSC correlated with adverse stroke outcomes at discharge. 

    Conclusion: 

    The incidence of constipation in acute stroke patients is higher than that in the general population. The results suggest that depression and Difficulty falling asleep may increase the risk of new-onset constipation. Moreover, after adjusting for confounders, new-onset constipation was independently associated with poor discharge outcome, particularly in patients with moderate stroke severity. Early identification of constipation risk in stroke patients can improve the development and optimization of rehabilitation protocols.

    (WRONG, WRONG, WRONG! Survivors don't want it identified, you blithering idiots; they want it cured! And you're too stupid to deliver what is needed!)

    Summary

    Keywords

    Constipation, Cross-sectional study, Rehabilitation, Risk factors, Stroke

    Received

    16 October 2025

    Accepted

    30 March 2026

    Copyright

    © 2026 Lv, Fan, Liu, Wu, Shi, Wang, Yu, Liu and Ji. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    *Correspondence: Yong Ji

    Disclaimer

    All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.

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