Constipation in children and young people: diagnosis and management

What will happen when we see a healthcare professional?

If you are concerned about constipation you can talk to a healthcare professional (it could be the school nurse, health visitor or GP). They will ask about the symptoms of the child or young person. This will help them to diagnose constipation and check that there is no serious underlying cause. They should also do a physical examination. Your healthcare professional may then do some tests. You should only have tests if they think there may be another condition that is causing the constipation. In this case they should also offer referral to a specialist.

If the examination and tests do not find a cause for the constipation, your child has idiopathic constipation. Your GP or the specialist should explain what this means, reassure you that there are treatments and discuss any treatments they recommend.