It is a clinical syndrome predominantly affecting young women, characterized by constipation and delayed colonic transit, occasionally associated with pelvic floor dysfunction. It is characterised by the slow movement of waste through the large bowel primarily due to reduced motility (peristalsis). Symptoms include infrequent motions, abdominal bloating / pain, nausea, and poor appetite.
Treatment is mainly medical including diet and life style modifications, use of laxatives, and
treatment and exclusion of any underlying possible causes such as low thyroid hormone levels, calcium levels abnormalities, and effect of any other medications. Surgery is rarely indicated as a last resort. Options include creating a stoma only, or removal of the affected part of the colon which can be the total colon with joining the small bowel back to the rectum or having a permanent stoma.