Red Sugar versus Polyethylene Glycol 3350 in Pediatric Functional Constipation: A randomized and Active-Controlled Trial

Functional constipation is a prevalent problem in children. This study was designed to compare the efficacy and safety of molasses with polyethylene glycol (PEG) in childhood constipation. This randomized single-center trial was conducted in Amir Al-Momenin Hospital, Semnan, Iran. 110 constipated children aged from 2 to 8 years were randomly assigned to 2 g kg^-1 PEG or 2 ccs/kg molasses. Children were treated for 1 month, and frequency of defecation, frequency of encopresis, abdominal pain, appetite, fecaloma, and pain at defecation were compared. The safety of both treatments was also studied. After 1 month of treatment, both drugs had an equal effect on the frequency of defecation and the frequency of encopresis per week (P 0.05). Both drugs were effective in relieving defecation pain to some extent. Molasses had a better effect on appetite status (P 0.05). Molasses caused a lower rate of side effects; diarrhea (P 0.01), nausea (P 0.05), and vomit. Our study showed that red sugar was as effective as PEG 3350 for treating childhood functional constipation