Prevalence and risk factors of constipation in adults with intellectual disability in residential care centers in Israel.

The team checked the adults with intellectual disability living in Israeli care homes. They used medical charts to see who had constipation and what else was wrong.

One in every twelve adults had constipation. People who could not walk, had cerebral palsy, or other brain illnesses were hit hardest.

McQuaid et al. (2024) looked at the same homes and found gallstones in 27 % of adults who used feeding tubes or ventilators. Together the two papers map GI risk: constipation for low-mobility clients, gallstones for tube-fed clients.

Moss et al. (2009) ran a matching survey in the Netherlands but counted high blood pressure instead. Both studies prove large medical surveys can be done in the ID population when you plan extra time.

Johnson et al. (2009) asked women with ID about health knowledge. Many did not know basic body facts, which may explain why constipation is missed until pain or blockage shows up.

You now have numbers to back extra fluid, fiber, and movement programs for clients who use wheelchairs or have cerebral palsy. Add a quick bowel question to your monthly data sheet and catch trouble before it turns into an ER visit.