Cochrane Review: Osmotic and stimulant laxatives for the management of childhood constipation (Review)

Abstract BackgroundConstipation within childhood is an extremely common problem. Despite the widespread use of osmotic and stimulant laxatives by health professionals to manage constipation in children, there has been a long standing paucity of high quality evidence to support this practice. ObjectivesWe set out to evaluate the efficacy and safety of osmotic and stimulant laxatives used to treat functional childhood constipation. Search methodsThe search (inception to May 7, 2012) was standardised and not limited by language and included electronic searching (MEDLINE, EMBASE, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, Cochrane Inflammatory Bowel Disease and Functional Bowel Disorders Group Specialized Trials Register), reference searching of all included studies, personal contacts and drug companies. Selection criteriaRandomised controlled trials (RCTs) which compared osmotic or stimulant laxatives with either placebo or another intervention, with patients aged 0 to 18 years old were considered for inclusion. The primary outcome was frequency of defecation. Secondary endpoints included faecal incontinence, disimpaction, need for additional therapies and adverse events. Data collection and analysisRelevant papers were identified and the authors independently assessed the eligibility of trials. Methodological quality was assessed using the Cochrane risk of bias tool.The Cochrane RevMan software was used for analyses. Patients with final missing outcomes were assumed to hav...
Source: Evidence-Based Child Health: A Cochrane Review Journal - Category: Pediatrics Authors: Tags: Intervention Review Source Type: research