Tratamiento del estreñimiento inducido por opiáceos en paciente adulto terminal

Abstract

In Spain, in 2012 appeared 130 thousand new cancer cases and it is expected that by 2020 there will be an incidence of 149 thousand. This disease has many side effects, although the most important is pain. To relieve pain the WHO has created the Analgesic Scale, composed of 3 steps. The last step is that of opiates that are effective for pain relief, but they have as a counterpart to produce constipation, a very uncomfortable side effect for patients who are in the state of suffering from terminal cancer since it produces from manifestations Such as pain, flatulence, obstruction, vomiting, etc., to psychological manifestations such as delirium. For this reason, a series of pharmacological measures, such as the use of laxatives and non-pharmacological measures, are initiated as hygienic-dietary measures. The aim of this study is to explore the different therapies against opiate-induced constipation in end-stage cancer patients. The work was done through a bibliographic review in several search engines from which 14 documents were extracted. The most important conclusions drawn were: that general measures for constipation are just as important as pharmacological measures, that fiber intake is contraindicated if insufficient fluid intake is not accompanied, and that the combination of more effective laxatives for constipation In terminal patients is the union of a stool softener with a stimulant of peristalsis.