Abstract
Background: Physicians must know constipation perception and constipation misperception (CM) of patients. CM can be defined as a failure to identify the six symptoms of constipation, including infrequency, straining, hard stool, incomplete evacuation, anorectal obstruction, or manual maneuver. The current study aimed to recognize the prevalence of CM among adults and its relationship with demographics and other clinical features.
Methodology: The study included 385 self-reported constipated subjects. The prevalence of CM for each constipation symptom was estimated, and the participants were classified into nil (0), low (1-2), mid (3-4), and high (5-6) level CM subgroups according to the number of misperceived symptoms.
Results: Highest rate of CM was observed for manual maneuver (46.5%), followed by an anorectal obstruction (43.9%), stool infrequency (36.6%), incomplete evacuation (21.6%), hard stool (22.8%), and straining (21.4%). Among the nil (24.4%), low (44.2%), mid (16.6%), and high-level (14.8%) subgroups, there were significant differences in body mass index and range of symptoms experienced at the statistical significance of <0.05.
Conclusion: The study showed that adults with self-reported constipation had a different perception of constipation. A substantial portion had a varying degree of CM, significantly associated with body mass index and the range of symptoms experienced. The results can help in educating patients in clinical practice or developing programs to increase public awareness about constipation. Recognizing and including the results in clinical practice will improve the quality of management for constipated patients.

Key words: Constipation, perception, constipation misperception, Al-Ahsa