Constipation in Specialized Palliative Care: Prevalence, Definition, and XXXX -Perceived Symptom Distress.

@entity1 @entity1142
BACKGROUND: The prevalence of @entity1142 among @entity1 in palliative care has varied in prior research, from 18% to 90%, depending on study factors. OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to describe and explore the prevalence and symptom distress of @entity1142 , using different definitions of @entity1142 , in @entity1 admitted to specialized palliative care settings. METHODS: Data was collected in a cross-sectional survey from 485 @entity1 in 38 palliative care units in Sweden. Variables were analyzed using logistic regression and summarized as odds ratio (OR). RESULTS: The prevalence of @entity1142 varied between 7% and 43%, depending on the definition used. Two @entity1142 groups were found: (1) medical @entity1142 group (MCG):  <=3 defecations/week, n=114 (23%) and (2) perceived @entity1142 group (PCG): @entity1 with a perception of being @entity1142 in the last two weeks, n=171 (35%). Three subgroups emerged: @entity1 with (1) only medical @entity1142 (7%), (2) only perceived @entity1142 (19%), and (3) both medical and perceived @entity1142 (16%). There were no differences in symptom severity between groups; 71% of all @entity1142 @entity1 had severe @entity1142 . CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of @entity1142 may differ, depending on the definition used and how @entity1142 is assessed. In this study we found two main groups and three subgroups, analyzed from the definitions of frequency of bowel movements and experience of being @entity1142 . To be able to identify @entity1142 , the @entity1 ' definition has to be further explored and assessed.
