Abstract: The prevalence of non organic constipation differs
from country to country and the reliability of the estimate rates is
uncertain. Moreover, the clinical relevance of subdividing the
heterogeneous functional constipation disorders into pre-defined
subgroups is largely unknown.. Aim: to estimate the prevalence of
constipation in a population-based sample and determine whether
clinical subgroups can be identified. An age and gender stratified
sample population from 5 Italian cities was evaluated using a
previously validated questionnaire. Data mining by cluster analysis
was used to determine constipation subgroups. Results: 1,500
complete interviews were obtained from 2,083 contacted households
(72%). Self-reported constipation correlated poorly with symptombased
constipation found in 496 subjects (33.1%). Cluster analysis
identified four constipation subgroups which correlated to subgroups
identified according to pre-defined symptom criteria. Significant
differences in socio-demographics and lifestyle were observed
among subgroups.