Original article of prevalence, risk factors and clinical characteristics of constipation in Chinese patients with schizophrenia

Abstract

Background: The aim of study was to explore the prevalence and clinical characteristics of constipation in Chinese inpatients with schizophrenia and analyze its risk factors. Methods: 806 schizophrenic patients in Shanghai were recruited to analyze the prevalence of constipation and the clinical characteristics of schizophrenic patients. According to whether the patients had constipation, they were divided into constipation group and normal group. The living conditions of the two groups were compared, and the risk factors of constipation were analyzed. Finally, the ROC curve was used to determine the predictive efficacy of the related factors on constipation, and the utilization of the risk factors Logistic regression analysis was used to determine the important factors of constipation. Results: The prevalence of constipation in Chinese schizophrenic patients was higher than that in the general population. The prevalence of mild constipation was 32.5% in 806 schizophrenic patients, and the prevalence of severe constipation was 20.9%. There was also gender difference in the prevalence of constipation in schizophrenic patients, among which the prevalence of female constipation was 17.6%, and that of male constipation was 9.9%. The dietary habits of patients also had a significant impact on the prevalence of constipation (P=0.001). Conclusion: The risk of constipation in female patients with schizophrenia is significantly higher than that in male patients. The incidence of constipation is related to gender, age, education level, negative symptoms, PANSS total score, smoking, exercise and drinking water. Gender, education level and daily smoking are important predictors of constipation.