Fecal incontinence (aka bowel/anal incontinence, accidental bowel leakage) is a lack of control over defecation, causing involuntary loss of bowel contents, including flatus (gas), liquid stool elements and mucus, or solid feces

• Constipation
• Diarrhea
• Immediate/delayed damage from childbirth
• Complications from prior anorectal surgery, especially involving the anal sphincters or hemorrhoidal vascular cushions
• Altered bowel habits, e.g. caused by IBS, Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis, food intolerance, or constipation w/ overflow incontinence

• Continence is maintained by several interrelated factors, and there is usually 1+ deficiency of thes emechanisms for incontinence to develop

• Diet
• Drug
• Surgery

• Local reactions of the perianal skin and urinary tract, including:
  • Maceration, softening and whitening of skin due to continuous moisture
  • UTI's
  • Decubitus ulcers (pressure sores)
• Financial expense, due to cost of drugs, incontinence products, and loss of productivity, both to the Pt, employer, insurance, and society generally
• Decreases quality of life, including stigmatization, needing to organize life around easy access to bathroom and avoidance of enjoyable activities
• Psychological, self-esteem related, including shame, humiliation, depression, attempting to self-manage the Sx in secrecy from others

• Affects 2% of adults
• One of the most psychologically and socially debilitating conditions in an otherwise healthy Pt
• Practitioners are often unaware of the impact of fecal incontinence

• Urinary incontinence