CKS is no longer commissioned by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE). NICE remains committed to providing a replacement service for CKS and is currently reviewing its options. In the meantime, although CKS content is now not being maintained, it still remains relevant and will continue to be made available. CKS content was generated under a programme of topic creation and update. To check if the topic you are viewing is current or out of date, please refer to the topic publication details by clicking on the 'How up-to-date is this topic?' link in the left hand menu on individual topic pages.
Constipation - How up-to-date is this topic?
Changes
Version 1.2, revision planned in 2012.
Last revised in January 2008
September 2010 — updated. The management of constipation in children has been removed from this topic, and is now covered in the CKS topic on Constipation in children. Issued in September 2010.
August 2009 — minor update. Advice from the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence guideline on when to suspect child maltreatment has been added to this topic [NICE, 2009]. Issued in August 2009.
October 2007 to January 2008 — converted from PRODIGY guidance to CKS topic structure. The evidence-base has been reviewed in detail, and recommendations are more clearly justified and transparently linked to the supporting evidence.
The section How do I manage constipation in the terminally ill? has been removed because this is covered in the CKS topic on Palliative cancer care - constipation. There are no major changes to the recommendations for treatments. However, there is clearer advice on treatment strategies, more detail on the advantages and disadvantages of the different laxatives, and more detail on foods and diets that may be useful in managing constipation.
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