New Insights into the Management of Chronic Idiopathic Constipation: From Physiopathology to Novel Therapeutic Strategies

Chronic Idiopathic Constipation (CIC) encompasses disorders of gut-brain interaction (DGBI) as defined by the Rome IV criteria, all characterized by symptoms of constipation. CIC includes disorders like functional constipation, irritable bowel syndrome with predominant constipation, opioid-induced constipation, and functional defecation disorders. These conditions significantly impact patients' quality of life, comparable to chronic diseases such as COPD, diabetes, and depression.

These disorders are widespread, affecting up to 15% of the global population. Functional constipation is the most prevalent subtype, accounting for 11.7% of cases. The pathophysiology of CIC is complex and multifactorial, involving colonic dysmotility, slow transit, disordered defecation, altered sensitivity, and intestinal dysbiosis. Treatment options include pharmacological and non-pharmacological strategies: lifestyle modifications, fibers, laxatives, prokinetics, secretagogues, trans-anal irrigation, and biofeedback. Despite various treatments, many patients remain dissatisfied, often resorting to over-the-counter solutions. Some cases require surgical intervention due to treatment resistance.

This Research Topic aims to:
- Investigate new pathophysiological aspects of CIC for potential therapeutic targets, and explore new evidence on established mechanisms such as slow transit and dysmotility.
- Evaluate the efficacy and safety of traditional and novel pharmacological treatments for CIC, focusing on patients resistant to first-line therapies.
- Assess the role of personalized medicine in CIC management, aiming to identify optimal therapies tailored to individual patients.

We welcome diverse article types, including Original Research, Review, Mini Review, Brief Research Report, and Perspective.

Maura is consultant for Mayoly, Promedcs, Biocodex and Sanofi and is Co-Chief Investigator in a research grant funded by Sanofi. All other Topic Editors and Coordinators declare no conflicts of interest

Article types and fees

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Clinical Trial
• Data Report
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• General Commentary
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• Mini Review
• ... View all formats

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Article types

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Clinical Trial
• Data Report
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• General Commentary
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• Mini Review
• Opinion
• Original Research
• Perspective
• Review
• Study Protocol
• Systematic Review
• Technology and Code

Keywords: Chronic constipation, Chronic idiopathic constipation, CC, CIC, Functional constipation, Functional gastrointestinal disorders, Disorders of gut-brain interaction, IBS-C, Irritable bowel syndrome, Gut dysmotility, Slow transit constipation, Functional defecation disorders

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.