Constipation is a bowel dysfunction that makes bowel movements infrequent or hard to pass. The stool is often hard and dry. Other symptoms may include abdominal pain, bloating, and feeling as if one has not completely passed the bowel movement. Complications from constipation may include hemorrhoids, anal fissure or fecal impaction. The normal frequency of bowel movements in adults is between three per day and three per week. Babies often have three to four bowel movements per day while young children typically have two to three per day.Constipation has many causes. Common causes include slow movement of stool within the colon, irritable bowel syndrome, and pelvic floor disorders. Underlying associated diseases include hypothyroidism, diabetes, Parkinsons disease, celiac disease, non-celiac gluten sensitivity, colon cancer, diverticulitis, and inflammatory bowel disease. Medications associated with constipation include opioids, certain antacids, calcium channel blockers, and anticholinergics. Of those taking opioids about 90% develop constipation. Constipation is more concerning when there is weight loss or anemia, blood is present in the stool, there is a history of inflammatory bowel disease or colon cancer in a persons family, or it is of new onset in someone who is older.Treatment of constipation depends on the underlying cause and the duration that it has been present. Measures that may help include drinking enough fluids, eating more fiber, consumption of honey and exercise. If this is not effective, laxatives of the bulk forming agent, osmotic agent, stool softener, or lubricant type may be recommended.
The infection is now endemic in wildlife and a few human cases have also been reported in areas where the parasite was not originally endemic, such as New Orleans and Egypt. The disease has also arrived in Brazil, where there were 34 confirmed cases from 2006 to 2014, including one death. The giant African land snail, which can be a vector of the parasite, has been introduced to Brazil as an invasive species and is spreading the disease. There may be more undiagnosed cases, as Brazilian physicians are not familiar with the eosinophilic meningitis associated to angiostrongyliasis and misdiagnose it as bacterial or viral.The parasite is rarely seen outside of endemic areas, and in these cases patients generally have a history of travel to an endemic area. See also
Schistosomiasis, a parasitic disease also spread by snails
List of unusual deaths – lists Australian man Sam Ballard as dying from Angiostrongyliasis in 2018, as a result of eating a garden slug eight years earlier on a dare

References
Further reading
"Parasites - Angiostrongyliasis (also known as Angiostrongylus Infection)". CDC. 2015-12-28. Retrieved 2017-04-04. "DPDx - Angiostrongyliasis". CDC. 2016-10-17. Retrieved 2017-04-04. Tabs for Parasite Biology, Image Gallery, Laboratory Diagnosis, and Treatment Information. == External links ==