INGELHEIM, Germany, September 3 /PRNewswire/ --     Constipation is a condition that we are all familiar with, however,
according to new international research from Dulcolax(R), constipation
actually affects much more than just bowel movements and can have a severely
detrimental impact on people's quality of life, in some cases comparable to
that experienced by people suffering from more serious ailments.

The Dulcolax(R) survey involved 2,870 patients from the UK, USA, Germany,
France, Italy, Brazil and South Korea. It measured, for the first time on
such a large scale, how constipation impacts on quality of life and shows
that people with constipation have a much lower quality of life than
non-constipated people. Key findings showed:

- People who are constipated feel worse about their general health,
believe they are more prone to falling ill and think that their health is
more likely to deteriorate

- The frequency and extent to which health problems interfered with
social activities were both much worse when compared to non-constipated
people

- The negative impact on being able to perform normal physical activities
was greater for people with constipation. These ranged from vigorous
activities such as running and lifting heavy objects to bending, kneeling,
stooping or even walking several hundred metres

- Bodily pain was also reported more frequently in constipated people

Perhaps the most surprising results are that, the impact on quality of
life for a constipation sufferer can be as bad as that described by people
with chronic diseases such as diabetes and heart disease. (1)

Professor Wald, from the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and
Public Health, USA and one of the lead professors scientifically guiding the
survey comments, "It is important that the results of this study be made
available to healthcare professionals. The goal of treating constipation
should be an improved quality of life, as well as relief from physical
symptoms."

However, due to the many myths that still surround constipation,
sufferers already blame themselves unnecessarily for their symptoms; one
recent independent and comprehensive review showed that many people still
wrongly believe that their diet (e.g. not eating enough fibre or drinking
enough water) and lifestyle (not doing enough exercise) are the causes of
their symptoms and so feel that it is their fault that they have
constipation.(2)

The results from this new survey show that in addition to this guilt
there is also an emotional burden which in turn can make sufferers feel even
more affected by the condition. It is important to educate healthcare
professionals so that new steps can be taken to recognise this emotional
burden and its bearing on the patient's quality of life.

"Constipation is not a subject that people talk about, so it makes it
hard to let people know just how much it is affecting you. I've always been
too embarrassed to talk openly about how I feel. Also, I am worried that
people will think I'm making more out of it than there really is, so I just
keep it to myself, which makes me feel quite isolated," says Helena West a
constipation sufferer from London, UK. She continues, "The truth is that when
I'm constipated, I feel unattractive, irritable and I'm often in a lot of
pain, which is something a lot of people don't realise. The worst thing is I
don't feel like I can be myself as it takes over my thoughts and stops me
from being me. "

With Dulcolax(R), a remedy is available that can relieve the symptoms of
constipation effectively whilst being gentle to the insides and helping
sufferers to get back to a normal and active everyday life. Dulcolax(R)
understands that sufferers carry this emotional burden and has been
developing its range of solutions over the last 50 years to offer
constipation sufferers discreet remedies that work with the body's natural
rhythm,(3) minimising the impact of this condition upon the sufferers' daily
life and helping them get back to normal.

For more information about how Dulcolax(R) can help you, please ask your
pharmacist or visit http://www.dulcolax.com

Notes to Editors

Dulcolax(R)

Dulcolax(R) (bisacodyl and sodium picosulphate) is a safe(3-8) and
effective laxative available worldwide for the gentle yet effective treatment
of constipation(3),(5-11). The active ingredients in Dulcolax(R) act only
where they are needed, in the colon,(3-4),(13-26) and stimulate the natural
movements of the bowels, alleviating the symptoms of constipation.

The Burden of Constipation on Quality of Life: A Multi-National Survey

The Burden of Constipation on Quality of Life survey is a multi-national
survey carried out between June and October 2005. It was conducted in seven
countries; the UK, USA, Germany, France, Italy, Brazil and South Korea and
was divided into two phases: constipated people were included in the first
phase, non-constipated people were interviewed in the second phase. The
results give new insights into how constipation impacts on quality of life
and highlights a real need for the emotional element to be considered when
treating the condition, as well as the physical aspect of it.

Boehringer Ingelheim

The Boehringer Ingelheim group is one of the world's 20 leading
pharmaceutical companies. Headquartered in Ingelheim, Germany, it operates
globally with 137 affiliates in 47 countries and 38,400 employees. Since it
was founded in 1885, the family-owned company has been committed to
researching, developing, manufacturing and marketing novel products of high
therapeutic value for human and veterinary medicine.

In 2006, Boehringer Ingelheim posted net sales of 10.6 billion euro while
spending one fifth of net sales in its largest business segment Prescription
Medicines on research and development.

The Consumer Health Care business is one of the core businesses of the
Boehringer Ingelheim Corporation and strives to serve customers worldwide
with top-quality pharmaceuticals for self-medication and is widely known for
its products such as: Pharmaton(R), Dulcolax(R), Bisolvon(R), Mucosolvan(R),
Buscopan(R), Antistax(R) and Mucoangin(R).

Boehringer Ingelheim Consumer Healthcare is ranked the 7th largest
supplier of self-medication products. For more information, visit
http://www.boehringer-ingelheim.com

For more information please visit http://www.boehringer-ingelheim.com/

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