Intestinal constipation in patients with advanced oncological disease in use of opioides

DOI: 10.15343/0104-7809.2013374471478

Abstract

Constipation is a very common disorder in oncologic patients with advanced disease, and it may cause pain, abdominal distension,
nausea and vomit. This study had as its aim to identify available evidences on the literature about actions of palliative
care for oncologic patients, considering these actions to be the result from the necessities of care that may contribute to the
control of this symptom. This investigation is a literature integrative review; and to select scientific publications, we accessed
the databases from Virtual Health Library (VHL), specifically LILACS and SciELO. Inclusion criteria were adapted: the articles
portraying palliative care to patients with constipation due to the use of opioids, with were indexed in the databases mentioned
above, which were published in Portuguese in the period from 2002 to 2012 and whose abstracts and texts were available
online in its entirety. We excluded studies with restricted access. At the end of the research, we found 20 references but only
seven met the criteria for inclusion. The articles included in this study pointed out that constipation is a very common symptom
in cancer patients with advanced disease using opioids. This review showed that a proper evaluation, nutritional management,
rational use of medicines and laxatives opioids antagonists, as well as new features such as the use of diet-therapeutic drugs
based on Agaricus sylvaticus can promote adequate control of symptoms, preventing complications and invasive procedures.