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. 2015 Sep-Oct;42(5):525-30.
doi: 10.1097/WON.0000000000000159.

Incidence and Characteristics of Incontinence-Associated Dermatitis in Community-Dwelling Persons With Fecal Incontinence

Donna Zimmaro Bliss  1 , Taylor Funk, Megan Jacobson, Kay Savik
Affiliations

Incidence and Characteristics of Incontinence-Associated Dermatitis in Community-Dwelling Persons With Fecal Incontinence

Donna Zimmaro Bliss et al. J Wound Ostomy Continence Nurs. 2015 Sep-Oct.

Abstract

Purpose: Little is known about the incidence and characteristics of incontinence-associated dermatitis (IAD) in community-living individuals with fecal incontinence. The primary aim of this study was to describe the incidence and characteristics of self-reported IAD among community-living individuals with fecal incontinence. The study also examined whether IAD was associated with older age, sex, presence of urinary incontinence, or fecal incontinence severity.

Design: Secondary data analysis was performed using a prospective cohort design.

Subjects and setting: Data were drawn from community-living adults (n = 98) with fecal incontinence (76% female, 34% aged ≥65 years, 90% white) who participated in a study about dietary fiber supplementation and were free of IAD at the start. Thirty five percent also had urinary incontinence.

Methods: Subjects assessed their skin for IAD daily for 52 days, reporting types of IAD damage (redness, rash/fungal infection, and skin loss), location of IAD, and symptoms. They reported fecal incontinence on a diary for the first and last 14 study days.

Results: The incidence of IAD was 41% (40 of the 98). The fecal incontinence severity score for subjects developing IAD was 1.2 higher than those who never had IAD (P < .001). There was no significant association of IAD with age, sex, or dual fecal and urinary incontinence. Incontinence-associated dermatitis developed within 2 weeks and healed in approximately 1 week. The most common sign and symptom were redness (60% patients) and soreness (78% patients), respectively. Most subjects (85%) had IAD in one location.

Conclusions: Assessing for IAD in community-living patients with fecal incontinence is important as IAD is common and causes discomfort. The relatively mild severity of IAD offers WOC nurses the opportunity for improving patient outcomes by preventing and managing this problem.

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Conflict of interest statement

Authors have no conflcits of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Figure 1 shows the number of body areas that were affected by incontinence associated dermatitis and the days in which IAD developed in community living persons with fecal incontinence. The numbers above the squares (1–40) designate the subjects with IAD, and each circle represents the total number of body locations damaged by incontinence per subject over the course of the study.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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