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Risk factors
By Mayo Clinic staffA number of factors may increase your risk of developing fecal incontinence, including:
- Increasing age. Although fecal incontinence can occur at any age, it's more common in older adults who sometimes have to cope with a lack of bladder control (urinary incontinence) as well. However, fecal incontinence is not a normal part of the aging process.
- Being female. Fecal incontinence may be more common in women than in men because this condition can be a complication of childbirth.
- Nerve damage. People who have long-standing diabetes or multiple sclerosis — conditions that can damage nerves that help control defecation — may be at risk of fecal incontinence.
- Dementia. Fecal incontinence is often present in late-stage Alzheimer's disease and dementia.
- Physical disability. Being physically disabled may make it difficult to reach a toilet in time, or the injury that caused a physical disability also may have caused rectal nerve damage that resulted in fecal incontinence.
References
- Robson K, et al. Fecal incontinence in adults. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed June 18, 2010.
- Bartolo DC, et al. Anal incontinence. Best Practice & Research Clinical Gastroenterology. 2009;23:505.
- Fecal incontinence. National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. http://digestive.niddk.nih.gov/ddiseases/pubs/fecalincontinence/fecalincontinence.pdf. Accessed June 18, 2010.
- McQuaid KR. Gastrointestinal disorders. In: McPhee SJ, et al. Current Medical Diagnosis and Treatment. New York, N.Y.: McGraw-Hill; 2010. http://www.accessmedicine.com/content.aspx?aID=6395. Accessed June 18, 2010.
- Hannaway CD, et al. Fecal incontinence. Obstetric and Gynecologic Clinics of North America. 2008;35:249.
- Mellgren A. Fecal incontinence. Surgical Clinics of North America. 2010;90:185.
- Wald A. Fecal incontinence in adults. New England Journal of Medicine. 2007;356:1648.
- Anderson CF (expert opinion). Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn. June 23, 2010.
- Picco MF (expert opinion) Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville, Fla. June 23, 2010.
- Tjandra JJ, et al. Injectable silicone biomaterial for fecal incontinence caused by internal anal sphincter dysfunction is effective. Diseases of the Colon and Rectum. 2004;47:2138.
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