The impact of functional constipation on quality of life of middle-aged Black Americans: a prospective case–control study

To quantify the impact of constipation on health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in Black Americans.

Case–control design. Black subjects referred for colon cancer screening with a Bristol Stool Score of 3–5 for >75% of bowel movements served as controls. Frequency-matched functional constipation subjects had to fulfill Rome III criteria. Both groups completed demographic and health surveys. Short Form-36 assessed HRQoL.

We recruited 102 constipated patients and 100 controls. The groups were well matched demographically. After adjustment for comorbidities, SF-36 scores for vitality, bodily pain, social functioning, and role-emotional were significantly lower in constipated patients. Unadjusted physical and mental component summary scores (PCS and MCS) were significantly higher in the control group (47.1 ± 10.6 vs. 43.3 ± 8.6; P = 0.005 and 50.6 ± 12.4 vs. 43.4 ± 11.8; P < 0.001, respectively). After adjustment for comorbidities, PCS differences were no longer significant (P = 0.54); however, MCS differences were significant (P = 0.004). Marginal mean scores for the MCS for controls and constipated subjects were 49.9 ± 1.2 and 43.6 ± 1.2, respectively. The presence of a comorbidity was independently associated with PCS (P < 0.001) and MCS (P = 0.026) results.

Functional constipation has a significant impact on HRQoL in middle-aged Black Americans, particularly in regard to mental well-being.