Association between maternal and paternal history of chronic constipation and its development: A brief report

INTRODUCTION: A family history of chronic constipation (CC) is considered an important predisposing factor for developing CC. This study aimed to compare the associations of maternal and paternal histories of CC with constipation in offspring. METHODS: Students at Hiroshima University completed a web-based health checkup questionnaire between April and June 2025. Data included baseline characteristics, lifestyle factors, family history of CC, Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), Eating Attitudes Test (EAT)-26, and Bulimic Investigatory Test (BITE). CC was diagnosed using the Rome IV criteria. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was performed to identify associated factors. RESULTS: Among 5,518 participants, both maternal and paternal histories of CC were significantly associated with CC, showing similar strength of association (maternal: odds ratio [OR] = 3.47, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 2.82-4.27; paternal: OR = 3.41, 95% CI = 2.16-5.40; both p < 0.001). Other significant factors included higher EAT-26 score (OR: 4.27, 95% CI: 2.31-7.87, p<0.004), female sex (OR: 2.74, 95% CI: 2.28-3.28, p<0.001), lack of physical exercise (OR: 1.67, 95% CI: 1.40-1.98, p<0.001), and short sleep duration (OR: 1.45, 95% CI: 1.22-1.71, p=0.001). CONCLUSION: Both maternal and paternal histories of CC were similarly associated with CC. However, this association may be largely driven by unmeasured shared environmental factors and should be interpreted cautiously.