Comprehensive microbial and clinical profiling of functional constipation: A stratified comparative study of age and constipation subtype

作者：Huiting Zhu, Huifen Wang, Qin Zhang, Ju-Fang Bai, Miao Wang, Shi-Yu Du, Yanli Zhang · 发表于：World Journal of Gastroenterology · 年份：2025 · DOI：10.3748/wjg.v31.i40.112637 · 被引用次数：6 · 研究领域：Gastrointestinal motility and disorders、Gut microbiota and health、Inflammatory Bowel Disease

BACKGROUND: Gut microbiota dysbiosis plays a central role in the pathogenesis of functional constipation (FC), but clinical treatment has shown uneven efficacy through methods of regulating intestinal flora. Most existing studies have concentrated on overall case-control comparisons, with limited stratification by age or constipation subtype. Knowledge of how these factors shape gut microbiota composition remains inadequate, constraining the development of effective personalized microbiota-based interventions. AIM: To characterize gut microbiota profiles by age and constipation subtype and identify factors associated with microbial composition in FC. METHODS: Ninety-two patients with FC completed questionnaires and underwent anorectal manometry and gastrointestinal transit tests; stool samples were collected for 16S rRNA gene sequencing. Stool samples alone were collected from 34 healthy controls. Patients with FC were categorized into age groups (young, middle-aged, and older) and classified into normal-transit constipation, slow-transit constipation (STC), defecatory disorder (DD), and mixed constipation subtypes. Gut microbial compositions across age groups and constipation subtypes were compared, and their correlations with clinical parameters were investigated. RESULTS: The young group demonstrated significantly higher anal resting and squeeze pressures than the middle-aged and the older groups. Microbial richness and diversity were substantially lower in the older group...