Table 1.
Baseline characteristics of subjects with chronic constipation
| Variables | All subjects | CC | CC | p value (IBS vs non-IBS) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| IBS | Non-IBS | ||||
| Number of cases | 10,658 | 467 | 21 | 446 | |
| Age (years, median [IQR]) | 51.0 [43.0–60.0] | 49.0 [42.0–57.0] | 49.0 [43.0–55.0] | 49.0 [42.0–57.0] | 0.584 |
| Age group | 0.538 | ||||
| <30 | 148 (1.4%) | 6 (1.3%) | 1 (4.8%) | 5 (1.1%) | |
| 30–39 | 1,343 (12.6%) | 63 (13.5%) | 4 (19.0%) | 59 (13.2%) | |
| 40–49 | 3,372 (31.6%) | 172 (36.8%) | 7 (33.3%) | 165 (37.0%) | |
| 50–59 | 3,116 (29.2%) | 131 (28.1%) | 6 (28.6%) | 125 (28.0%) | |
| 60–69 | 1,964 (18.4%) | 71 (15.2%) | 2 (9.5%) | 69 (15.5%) | |
| ≥70 | 715 (6.7%) | 24 (5.1%) | 1 (4.8%) | 23 (5.2%) | |
| Sex | 1 | ||||
| Male | 5,047 (47.4%) | 92 (19.7%) | 4 (19.0%) | 88 (19.7%) | |
| Female | 5,611 (52.6%) | 375 (80.3%) | 17 (81.0%) | 358 (80.3%) | |
| BMI (kg/m2, median [IQR]) | 22.3 [20.2–24.7] | 21.2 [19.4–23.8] | 20.4 [18.4–22.9] | 21.2 [19.5–23.8] | 0.2 |
| Alcohol intake (≥5 days a week) | 2,726 (25.6%) | 55 (11.8%) | 3 (14.3%) | 52 (11.7%) | 0.726 |
| Daily drinking quantity | 0.245 | ||||
| <1 go (180 ml of Japanese sake) | 6,706 (62.9%) | 356 (76.2%) | 15 (71.4%) | 341 (76.5%) | |
| ≥1 and <2 go | 1,782 (16.7%) | 61 (13.1%) | 2 (9.5%) | 59 (13.2%) | |
| ≥2 and <3 go | 1,525 (14.3%) | 37 (7.9%) | 2 (9.5%) | 35 (7.8%) | |
| ≥3 go | 586 (5.5%) | 13 (2.8%) | 2 (9.5%) | 11 (2.5%) | |
| Smoking habit (current smoker) | 1,566 (14.7%) | 57 (12.2%) | 2 (9.5%) | 55 (12.3%) | 1 |
| Exercise for ≥30 min at least twice a week for ≥1 year | 2,638 (24.8%) | 63 (13.5%) | 5 (23.8%) | 58 (13.0%) | 0.183 |
| Walking (or an equal amount of exercise) for ≥1 h a day | 4,399 (41.3%) | 160 (34.3%) | 9 (42.9%) | 151 (33.9%) | 0.481 |
| Walking faster than other people of the same age and sex | 5,536 (51.9%) | 217 (46.5%) | 10 (47.6%) | 207 (46.4%) | 1 |
| Sleep for ≥6 h a day | 7,022 (65.9%) | 260 (55.7%) | 6 (28.6%) | 254 (57.0%) | 0.013 |
| Getting enough rest by sleeping | 6,216 (58.3%) | 220 (47.1%) | 4 (19.0%) | 216 (48.4%) | 0.012 |
| Skipping breakfast ≥3 times a week | 1,519 (14.3%) | 82 (17.6%) | 5 (23.8%) | 77 (17.3%) | 0.391 |
| Eating 2 h before going to bed ≥3 times a week | 2,960 (27.8%) | 134 (28.7%) | 8 (38.1%) | 126 (28.3%) | 0.331 |
| Eating snacks and sweet drinks in addition to three meals in a day | 8,442 (79.2%) | 415 (88.9%) | 17 (81.0%) | 398 (89.2%) | 0.275 |
| Eating faster than other people | 4,137 (38.8%) | 188 (40.3%) | 9 (42.9%) | 179 (40.1%) | 0.823 |
| Weight gain of ≥10 kg from the age of 20 | 3,712 (34.8%) | 136 (29.1%) | 4 (19.0%) | 132 (29.6%) | 0.461 |
| State of biting and eating a meal | 0.619 | ||||
| Can bite and eat anything | 9,083 (85.2%) | 373 (79.9%) | 16 (76.2%) | 357 (80.0%) | |
| Feel difficulty in biting due to teeth problems | 1,470 (13.8%) | 92 (19.7%) | 5 (23.8%) | 87 (19.5%) | |
| Hardly bite | 47 (0.4%) | 2 (0.4%) | 0 (0.0%) | 2 (0.4%) | |
| Lifestyle improvement | 0.473 | ||||
| Already improving | 2,686 (25.2%) | 91 (19.5%) | 2 (9.5%) | 89 (20.0%) | |
| Willing to improve | 5,852 (54.9%) | 295 (63.2%) | 16 (76.2%) | 279 (62.6%) | |
| No intention to improve | 2,062 (19.3%) | 81 (17.3%) | 3 (14.3%) | 78 (17.5%) | |
| Willing to use opportunity to receive health instruction on lifestyle improvement | 5,111 (48.0%) | 229 (49.0%) | 13 (61.9%) | 216 (48.4%) | 0.268 |
| Heartburn | 481 (4.5%) | 28 (6.0%) | 0 (0.0%) | 28 (6.3%) | 0.62 |
| Nausea | 151 (1.4%) | 13 (2.8%) | 2 (9.5%) | 11 (2.5%) | 0.099 |
| Stomachache | 631 (5.9%) | 48 (10.3%) | 5 (23.8%) | 43 (9.6%) | 0.057 |
| Abdominal bloating/distension | 812 (7.6%) | 109 (23.3%) | 11 (52.4%) | 98 (22.0%) | 0.003 |
| Feeling stressed | 2,244 (21.1%) | 142 (30.4%) | 12 (57.1%) | 130 (29.1%) | 0.005 |
| Annoyance | 1,129 (10.6%) | 86 (18.4%) | 8 (38.1%) | 78 (17.5%) | 0.038 |
| Lack of motivation | 662 (6.2%) | 54 (11.6%) | 7 (33.3%) | 47 (10.5%) | 0.007 |
| Fatigue upon waking | 1,604 (15.0%) | 116 (24.8%) | 10 (47.6%) | 106 (23.8%) | 0.014 |
| Feeling depressed | 726 (6.8%) | 52 (11.1%) | 6 (28.6%) | 46 (10.3%) | 0.024 |
| General disinterest | 239 (2.2%) | 19 (4.1%) | 1 (4.8%) | 18 (4.0%) | 0.566 |
| H. pylori eradication history | 1,567 (14.7%) | 69 (14.8%) | 7 (33.3%) | 62 (13.9%) | 0.024 |
| Fecal occult blood test -positive | 989 (9.3%) | 62 (13.3%) | 2 (9.5%) | 60 (13.5%) | 0.751 |
| History of colorectal polyps | 782 (7.3%) | 43 (9.2%) | 0 (0.0%) | 43 (9.6%) | 0.243 |
| History of colorectal cancer | 88 (0.8%) | 1 (0.2%) | 0 (0.0%) | 1 (0.2%) | 1 |
| History of cardiovascular diseases | 328 (3.1%) | 15 (3.2%) | 1 (4.8%) | 14 (3.1%) | 0.504 |
| History of cerebrovascular diseases | 178 (1.7%) | 14 (3.0%) | 1 (4.8%) | 13 (2.9%) | 0.48 |
| Chronic kidney disease (Stage G3a–G5) | 1,033 (9.7%) | 38 (8.1%) | 0 (0.0%) | 38 (8.5%) | 0.241 |
| Antihypertensive drugs | 1,513 (14.2%) | 55 (11.8%) | 1 (4.8%) | 54 (12.1%) | 0.493 |
| Hypoglycemic drugs or insulin | 391 (3.7%) | 21 (4.5%) | 0 (0.0%) | 21 (4.7%) | 0.615 |
| Antidyslipidemic drugs | 1,210 (11.4%) | 59 (12.6%) | 1 (4.8%) | 58 (13.0%) | 0.497 |
| Levothyroxine sodium hydrate | 133 (1.2%) | 7 (1.5%) | 1 (4.8%) | 6 (1.3%) | 0.277 |
| Antihistaminc drugs | 254 (2.4%) | 12 (2.6%) | 2 (9.5%) | 10 (2.2%) | 0.097 |
| Antipsychotics or antidepressants | 115 (1.1%) | 7 (1.5%) | 0 (0.0%) | 7 (1.6%) | 1 |
| Anxiolytics or sleeping pills | 230 (2.2%) | 18 (3.9%) | 1 (4.8%) | 17 (3.8%) | 0.57 |
| Iron supplements | 34 (0.3%) | 3 (0.6%) | 0 (0.0%) | 3 (0.7%) | 1 |
| Acid secretion suppressants | 394 (3.7%) | 21 (4.5%) | 0 (0.0%) | 21 (4.7%) | 0.615 |
| Laxatives | 135 (1.3%) | 21 (4.5%) | 1 (4.8%) | 20 (4.5%) | 1 |
CC, chronic constipation; IBS, irritable bowel syndrome; IQR, interquartile range; BMI, body mass index; H. pylori, Helicobacter pylori. One go of Japanese sake contains approximately 22 g of ethanol.