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- Megacolon
- SYMPTOMS. Signs include severe constipation, vomiting, abdominal distention
- and appetite loss.
- CAUSES. In some infants, the part of the colon that allows normal movement
- of fecal material has a lack of nerve cells because of a congenital defect.
- The is called Hirschsprung's disease. The acquired form affects older
- persons, usually mentally ill children that refuse to attempt to defecate.
- TREATMENT. Surgery may be required for Hirschsprung's disease.
- .Psychiatric treatment may be necessary for bowel training of acquired type.