Table 1.
Patients' characteristics.
| 106 | |
|---|---|
| Gender, n (%); male : female | 56 : 50 (52.8 : 47.2) |
| Age, mean ± SD | 69.5 ± 9.4 |
| Age distribution, n (%) ≤74 : ≥75 years old | 68 : 38 (64.2 : 35.8) |
| Body mass index, mean ± SD | 23.3 ± 3.9 |
| Performance status (0 : 1 : 2), n (%) | 92 : 10 : 4 (88.8 : 9.3 : 1.9) |
| Prescription of laxative, n (%) | 35 (33.0) |
| Prescription of irritant laxative, n (%) | 23 (21.7) |
| Dose of PEG-E/day, n (%) 13.7 g : 27.4 g |
94 : 12 (88.7 : 11.3) |
| Definition of chronic constipation | |
| <3 BMs | 27 (25.5) |
| Bristol bowel consistency scale 1 and 2 | 60 (56.6) |
| Symptoms besides BM and bowel consistency | 99 (93.4) |
| Underlying disease | |
| Hyperlipidemia, n (%) | 32 (30.2) |
| Colorectal surgery, n (%) | 16 (15.1) |
| Diabetes, n (%) | 13 (11.2) |
| Hypothyroidism, n (%) | 5 (5.6) |
| Hepatic or biliary disorder, n (%) | 4 (3.7) |
| Parkinson's disease, n (%) | 1 (0.9) |
| Concomitant medication | |
| Antacids, n (%) | 28 (23.4) |
| Calcium antagonists, n (%) | 28 (23.4) |
| Antidepressants, n (%) | 14 (7.5) |
| Opioids, n (%) | 0 (0.0) |
SD: standard deviation; PEG+E: polyethylene glycol plus electrolytes; BM: bowel movement.