In young children, what complication could arise due to chronic constipation?

Chronic constipation in young children can lead to urinary incontinence due to the close anatomical relationship between the rectum and bladder. When a child experiences severe constipation, the impacted stool can enlarge the rectum, which may lead to increased pressure on the bladder. This pressure can disrupt normal bladder function, causing involuntary loss of urine or urinary incontinence.

This complication often relates to the mechanism of encopresis as well, where the presence of stool in the rectum can reflexively cause bladder dysfunction, leading to issues with bladder control. As a child's bowel habits improve, urinary incontinence related to constipation typically resolves as well.

Recurrent cystitis, pelvic pain, and kidney failure are less commonly directly associated with chronic constipation in the pediatric population. While pelvic pain can occur for various reasons, and kidney failure represents a severe and rare complication with different underlying causes, the most immediate and relevant complication of chronic constipation is urinary incontinence.