PREVALENCE OF FECAL INCONTINENCE - WHAT CAN BE EXPECTED

Fecal incontinence is a serious problem especially for the elderly. Th e epidemiology of incontinence is not well described in the literature although it is often used as an endpoint for treatment evaluation in clinical trials. Complete continence is often assumed to be the ''norm al'' standard. The goals of this study were to establish detailed prev alence rates for fecal incontinence in a standard population and to id entify differences due to age and sex. A questionnaire about fecal inc ontinence and its consequences with predefined answers was filled out anonymously by 500 volunteers. The study population was selected to me et the respective age and sex distribution of the German adult populat ion. The data indicated that 4.8% of the persons were unable to contro l solid stools, while 19.6% had problems at least with one type of inc ontinence (solid, pasty, or lipid stools, winds). Problems with pasty or liquid stools are more frequent in women. The ability to control wi nd is decreased in elderly persons. The time needed to reach a toilet is shorter for women, and generally decreases in the elderly. Men more often describe soiling the in underwear. Persons with signs of incont inence show decreased levels of social activities. A global incontinen ce rate of 5% fits well with some previously published results. Soilin g of the underwear is not well suited for defining incontinence. The i ncreased rate in women may in part be explained by morphological diffe rences. The reduced time to hold stools especially in the elderly in c ombination with a reduced mobility may result in a higher rate of inco ntinence, which is correlated with reduced social activities.