Acute constipation begins suddenly and noticeably.
Chronic constipation may begin slowly and last for months or years. The role of the digestive system is to extract nutrients from the food a person eats and prepare the leftover material for disposal. This leftover material passes through at least 20 feet of intestine before being stored temporarily in the colon, where water is removed. Finally, this fecal residue is excreted as a bowel movement. The frequency of bowel movements considered normal varies from person to person.