Hypothyroidism and constipation – a review

Author: 
Apoorva V.S and M.Karthik Ganesh

Aim: To review on the effect of hypothyroidismon constipation.

Background: Hypothyroidism is a common disorder of the endocrine system in which it does not produce enough thyroid hormone. It can cause several symptoms such as tiredness, low tolerance to cold, depression, constipation, weight gain etc., of these the constipation is one of the important and a classic sign of hypothyroidism. During this disorder, the digestive system slows down, weakens the smooth contracting muscles lining the digestive tract to move the faeces very slowly, creating several complications like, dyspepsia, abdominal pain, heart burn etc.

Conclusion: Chronic constipation may lead to several other complications like haemorrhage, rectal prolapse, etc. Constipation due to hypothyroidism is not an easily recognisable trait. Hence, this review is done to have adequate knowledge about the effects of hypothyroidism on constipation.

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DOI: 
DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.24327/ijcar.2017.4730.0570
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