Figure 1.

Self assessment of physical and mental health (SF-36) in patients and controls. Mean values of SF-36 scores for patients with constipation (line) compared with normal subjects (bar). Constipated patients differed from the normal subjects in all eight categories. They had decreased physical functioning scores (77 vs 93, P < 0.0001), role-physical scores (66 vs 87, P = 0.009), bodily pain scores (60 vs 83, P = 0.001), general health scores (45 vs 68, P < 0.0001), vitality scores (46 vs 62, P = 0.002), social functioning scores (67 vs 88, P < 0.0001), role emotional scores (56 vs 84, P = 0.001), and mental health scores (61 vs 76, P = 0.003).