Physical therapy combined with a laxative fruit drink for treatment of chagasic megacolon

Abstract

CONTEXT: The treatment of Chagas' disease colopathy is limited to clinical management in the initial of the process, and for patients for whom surgery is not indicated or is not possible, anti-constipation diets are used, along with judicious administration of laxatives and enemas. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate over time the effects of physical-therapy interventions combined with daily ingestion of a laxative fruit drink in the treatment of chagasic megacolon. METHOD: In a quantitative, prospective, and comparative study, 12 patients of both sexes and with a mean age of 67 ± 12 years were clinically evaluated to receive 12 sessions of physical therapy twice a week, along with fruit drink, and were evaluated for intestinal constipation before and after treatment. RESULTS: A significant difference (P<0.0022) was observed in the constipation scores before and after 6 weeks of intervention in 91.7% of the patients, and in 72.7% after 12 months, with reduction of laxative medications, softer stools, and increased number of bowel movements. With respect to gender, age, and whether or not the patient had received surgical treatment, there was no significant difference (P>0.05). CONCLUSION: The proposed protocol is easy to implement, safe, non-invasive, and low-cost, with the potential to be deployed in health care by providing benefits independent of gender, age, or whether the participant has undergone surgery, improving the condition of patients with chagasic megacolon.