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The effect of methylcellulose on symptoms of constipation.

The efficacy of methylcellulose was evaluated in 538 patients with a history of constipation. The patients were seen both by primary care physicians and by consultants. Patients were selected on the basis of passage of fewer than three stools per week. Frequency, consistency, and ease of passage of the stools were measured before and after one to three tablespoonsful per day of methylcellulose. The frequency of bowel movements as well as the consistency and ease of passage of the stools returned to normal with methylcellulose treatment; 61% of the patients were judged to have less constipation. The response to methylcellulose was not altered by the sex or age of the patients nor by the presence of colonic diverticular disease. This study suggests that methylcellulose is beneficial for the treatment of chronic and acute constipation.