Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2002 Apr;50(4):480-4.
doi: 10.1136/gut.50.4.480.

Prevalence of faecal incontinence in adults aged 40 years or more living in the community

S Perry  1 , C Shaw, C McGrother, R J Matthews, R P Assassa, H Dallosso, K Williams, K R Brittain, U Azam, M Clarke, C Jagger, C Mayne, C M Castleden; Leicestershire MRC Incontinence Study Team
Affiliations

Prevalence of faecal incontinence in adults aged 40 years or more living in the community

S Perry et al. Gut. 2002 Apr.

Abstract

Background: Prevalence studies of faecal incontinence in the general population are rare and the impact of faecal incontinence on quality of life has not been previously addressed.

Aims: To establish the prevalence of faecal incontinence in adults in terms of frequency of leakage, degree of soiling, and level of impact on quality of life.

Methods: In a cross sectional postal survey, 15 904 adults aged 40 years or more (excluding residents of nursing and residential homes) were selected randomly by household from the Leicestershire Health Authority patient register. Participants were asked to complete a confidential health questionnaire. Major faecal incontinence was defined as soiling of underwear or worse with a frequency of several times a month or more. Respondents were also asked if bowel symptoms had an impact on their quality of life.

Results: From a total sample of 10 116 respondents, 1.4% reported major faecal incontinence and 0.7% major faecal incontinence with bowel symptoms that had an impact on quality of life. Major faecal incontinence was significantly associated with a lot of impact on quality of life (odds ratio 12.4, 95% confidence interval 7.5-20.6). Incontinence was more prevalent and more severe in older people but there was no significant difference between men and women.

Conclusions: This study has confirmed that faecal incontinence is a fairly common symptom, particularly in older people. Faecal incontinence in men has received little attention in the past and the results from this study indicate that it is as much of a problem in men as it is in women while the level of unmet need in this group is high. Estimates of need for health care for this symptom should be multidimensional and assess both the severity of symptoms and the impact it has on quality of life.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Prevalence (%) of faecal incontinence by frequency of leakage (yearly, monthly, weekly, or daily) in men (A) and women (B).
Figure 2
Figure 2
Prevalence (%) of faecal incontinence by degree of soiling (stained underwear, soiled underwear, soiled outer clothing, or soiled furnishing) in men (A) and women (B).
Figure 3
Figure 3
Prevalence (%) of faecal incontinence by severity, disability, and request for help.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

References

    1. Enck P, Bielefeldt K, Rathmann W, et al. Epidemiology of faecal incontinence in selected patient groups. Int J Colorect Dis 1991;6:143–6. - PubMed
    1. Nelson R, Norton N, Cautley E, et al. Community-based prevalence of anal incontinence. JAMA 1995;274:559–61. - PubMed
    1. Thomas TM, Egan M, Walgrove A, et al. The prevalence of faecal and double incontinence. Community Med 1984;6:216–20. - PubMed
    1. Talley NJ, O'Keefe EA, Zinsmeister AR, et al. Prevalence of gastrointestinal symptoms in the elderly: a population-based study. Gastroenterolgy 1992;102:895–901. - PubMed
    1. Campbell AJ, Reinken J, McCosh L. Incontinence in the elderly: prevalence and prognosis. Age Ageing 1985;14:65–70. - PubMed

Publication types