ABSTRACT
Background:Multiple studies have addressed the treatment of chronic constipation in adults in general; however, less guidance is available for treating this condition in older patients.
Objective:The aim of this paper was to review the effectiveness of laxatives for chronic constipation in the elderly.
Methods:MEDLINE, Web of Science, International Pharmaceutical Abstracts, and the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews were searched for English-language articles evaluating the treatment of chronic constipation in older individuals from the inception of the databases until October 2010. Search terms included constipation, treat-ment, laxative, elderly, and geriatric. Articles were excluded if the mean age was <65 years.