Chronic constipation is a very common clinical problem with its prevalence of up to 14% in the general population. It is not a life-threatening disease, but since patient's satisfaction to the treatment is known to be as low as 50%, chronic constipation still remains a clinically challenging problem. Fortunately, many new treatments have been introduced or are to be introduced in the near future. This article will review the basic concepts and the results of recent studies on the new treatments for chronic constipation.
Chloride Channel Agonists/therapeutic use ; Chronic Disease ; Constipation/*drug therapy/epidemiology ; Humans ; Laxatives/*therapeutic use ; Polyethylene Glycols/therapeutic use ; Prevalence ; Probiotics/therapeutic use ; Serotonin 5-HT4 Receptor Agonists/therapeutic use