[Jeffrey Roberts]

Childhood constipation often lingers into adulthoodTue Jun 8, 2:19 pm ET NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Stubborn cases of chronic constipation in childhood may become an adulthood problem for a significant percentage of kids, a new study suggests.Dutch researchers found that among 401 children and teens treated for chronic constipation at their center, one-quarter were still having symptoms 11 years later, as young adults.The odds of long-lasting constipation were greater when the problem arose later in childhood or when years passed between a child's first bouts of constipation and his or her referral for specialized treatment.The findings, reported in the journal Pediatrics, are based on a group of children and teens with symptoms serious enough that they were referred to a specialist clinic.More >>Copyright © 2010 Reuters Limited.