Dyschezia or functional constipation: a frequent challenge in pediatric practice.

Abstract

Dyschezia and constipation in infants are functional digestive disorders that have defecatory difficulty in common and differ fundamentally in the age of presentation and the consistency of the stool. Both disorders generate concern in parents and frequent consultations with the health system. Dyschezia is a self-limited functional digestive disorder resulting from incoordination in the evacuation mechanism. On the other hand, functional constipation is fundamentally linked to retentive behavior related to pain and fear of evacuation and sometimes requires nutritional and/or pharmacological intervention. Studies that observed the natural history of children with dyschezia showed that there is no causal relationship between dyschezia and functional constipation, so they should be considered two different entities. Both require, for their better management, family support through educational, clear, and reassuring messages to be included in the medical consultation.