Baseline characteristics of study groups
| PC (n = 135) | FNRFS (n = 56) | RAP (n = 24) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| *Significant difference (p<0.01) between the children with PC and the other two groups. | |||
| †Significant difference (p = 0.02) between the children with PC and FNRFS. | |||
| Boys | 88 (65%) | 46 (82%) | 10 (42%) |
| Age (y) | 8 (5–14) | 9 (5–17) | 9 (5–16) |
| Civil status parents | |||
| Married | 113 (84%) | 47 (84%) | 22 (92%) |
| Divorced | 5 (4%) | 4 (7%) | 0 (0%) |
| School | |||
| Not in school | 1 (1%) | 0 (0%) | 1 (4%) |
| Special education | 12 (8%) | 5 (11%) | 2 (8%) |
| Elementary school | 107 (79%) | 36 (64%) | 16 (68%) |
| Low professional school | 5 (4%) | 2 (3%) | 1 (4%) |
| High school | 9 (7%) | 11 (19%) | 4 (16%) |
| Others | 1 (1%) | 2 (3%) | 0 (0%) |
| Clinical features | |||
| Family history of constipation | 51 (38%) | 16 (29%) | 11 (46%) |
| Bowel movements/week | 2 (0–14)* | 7 (3–21) | 7 (2–21) |
| Large amount of stools | 80 (59%)* | 0 (0%) | 1 (4%) |
| Encopresis | 117 (87%) | 56 (100%) | 0 (0%) |
| Palpable abdominal mass | 45 (34%)* | 0 (0%) | 1 (4%) |
| Palpable rectal mass | 37 (28%)* | 0 (0%) | 0 (0%) |
| Abdominal pain | 69 (51%)† | 22 (39%) | 24 (100%) |