A diagnosis of constipation is generally based on the patient’s weekly defecation frequency, ease of defecation, sensations felt during defecation, and stool characteristics. A clinician may also collect medical history, perform lab tests, and conduct examinations to look for an underlying cause of the constipation, although in most cases none will be identified.
Different criteria exist to determine what subtype of constipation is present. The Rome IV criteria can be used to diagnose several subtypes of constipation, these being functional (primary) constipation, irritable bowel syndrome with constipation (IBS-C), opioid-induced constipation, and functional defecation disorder.[1]