Polyethylene Glycol Treatment for Constipation
Kathryn E. Wynne
Christopher J. Moran
Efficacy and Optimal Dose of Daily Polyethylene Glycol 3350 for Treatment of Constipation and Encopresis in Children
Pashankar DS, Bishop WP. J Pediatr. 2001;139(3):428–432
Background
Constipation occurs in 3% of children.1 While treatment options for chronic constipation are numerous, they often have unpleasant tastes that prevent long-term compliance, particularly in children.2 Polyethylene glycol 3350 (PEG), an osmotic agent, had been shown to be safe and efficacious for constipation in adults in the 1990s; only preliminary reports were available on use in pediatrics.
Objectives
To determine the efficacy, safety, and optimal dose of PEG in children with chronic constipation.
Methods
Prospective, noncontrolled, open-label trial at a single US academic center.
Patients
24 children ages 18 months to 11 years with a diagnosis of chronic constipation (>3 months of two of the following: hard stools, painful stooling, stool withholding, fecal soiling, palpable stool mass, and <3 bowel movements per week). Select exclusion criteria: Hirschsprung disease, anorectal malformation, abdominal surgery, or systemic illness causing constipation.
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