Recent studies have proved that constipation may be linked to kidney disease. Researchers have conducted a study designed to test the connection. They have analyzed medical records of more than 3.5 million US citizens. Scientists were looking for reports showing the use of laxatives or constipation on a time span that lasted seven years.

Those patients who experienced this illness were more likely to develop a severe kidney disease and even renal failure compared to those people who did not complain about constipation. What is more, the researchers had observed that the chances to develop chronic kidney illnesses were increased when constipation was more severe.

Dr. Csaba Pal Kovesdy, the chief of nephrology at the Memphis VA Medical Center, has claimed that he together with his team was not entirely surprised by the results. There were also other studies which have shown similar concerning results. Some of the previous studies had even shown a connection to cardiovascular diseases.

The link between these two can be explained by the bacteria which lie in the gut. Kovesdy has argued that constipation may indicate a modification in the gut microbiome. The alterations that occur in the community of microbes located in humans’ guts may determine metabolic changes like increased inflammation.

Even if experts asserted that they did not have an accurate clue regarding the mechanism bound to connect constipation with kidney disease, they argued that they found another cause. Probably, the food which passed through the digestive system was digested through a slow process. Thus the changes appeared in the gut bacteria which caused constipation. The slow process of digestion may lead to the existence of chronic inflammation prone to harm the kidneys.

Approximately 30% of the population is affected by constipation sometime during their life. The researchers of the study had also stated that the gut illness is categorized as one of the first diseases which appear in primary care contexts. The research was published on November 10 in the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology. The results have also demonstrated that those who are more likely to experience such a condition are older people.

Specialists have also claimed that further analyses need to be conducted to establish whether treating constipation may help to prevent kidney disease. Physicians should choose other methods to treat their patients who complain about constipation, without using laxatives. They could recommend a diet rich in fiber or some probiotics.

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