Targets for interventions for faecal incontinence in inflammatory bowel disease: a systematic review

Prevalence of faecal incontinence in patients with inflammatory bowel disease: Severity and its relationship with quality of life

AIMS

To describe the prevalence of faecal incontinence in patients with inflammatory bowel disease, assess its severity, and correlation with quality of life. We adhered to relevant EQUATOR guidelines, STROBE method.

DESIGN

Correlational-descriptive study.

METHODS

Hebrew-speaking patients seen at an inflammatory bowel disease clinic in a large tertiary medical center in Jerusalem between February 2020 and December 2020 completed the Faecal Incontinence Severity Index and the Faecal Incontinence Quality of Life Scale.

RESULTS

Ninety-six patients participated in the study, of which 70 (72.9%) had Crohn's disease, and 26 (27.1%) had ulcerative colitis. Eighty-five (88.5%) reported faecal incontinence with an overall Faecal Incontinence Severity Index mean of 27.66 (SD 15.99), yet only 14 (14.7%) reported that their physician or nurse inquired about faecal incontinence. Quality of life scores for patients with faecal incontinence was the lowest on the coping/behaviour scale (M = 2.44; SD 0.94) and the highest on the depression/self-perception scale (M = 2.86; SD 1.04). Significant correlations were found between faecal incontinence severity and quality of life in all scales except for self-embarrassment. Moderate correlations in the same scales were noted in patients with Ulcerative Colitis, while no significant correlations were found in the Crohn's Disease group.

CONCLUSION

A high proportion of inflammatory bowel disease patients reported faecal incontinence associated with impaired quality of life. Only a few were questioned about faecal incontinence by their physician or nurse.

IMPACT

There is limited literature regarding the prevalence and severity of faecal incontinence in inflammatory bowel disease patients. A high proportion of patients reported faecal incontinence, which negatively correlated with quality of life. Physicians and nurses must inquire about faecal incontinence to improve patient care.

PATIENT OR PUBLIC CONTRIBUTION

No patient or public contribution.

Fatigue, pain and faecal incontinence in adult inflammatory bowel disease patients and the unmet need: a national cross-sectional survey

BACKGROUND AND AIMS

The co-existence of fatigue, pain and faecal incontinence in people with Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) is unknown. We aimed to determine the presence of and relationship between these symptoms and patients' desire for intervention.

METHODS

Adults with IBD in the UK, recruited from clinics, the national IBD-BioResource, a patient charity and social media sources, completed PROMIS validated patient-reported questionnaires to identify fatigue, pain and faecal incontinence, in addition to symptom severity and impact, disease activity, anxiety and depression questionnaires and questions about their desire for help with these symptoms. Statistical analysis used descriptive statistics to report presence of symptoms and Pearson correlation coefficients were calculated.

RESULTS

Of 8486 responses, 54% reported faecal incontinence, 24% reported fatigue, and 21% reported pain; 10% reported all three symptoms in the past 7 days. Only 29% reported none of these symptoms. Fatigue and pain were moderately correlated (Pearson correlation coefficient 0.57); both fatigue and pain had a lower correlation with faecal incontinence (0.43 and 0.46 respectively). On a 0-10 scale for severity, participants scored fatigue highest, followed by incontinence then pain. For impact, participants scored incontinence highest, followed by fatigue then pain. 56% reported depression (27% with clinically relevant levels) and 49% reported anxiety (20% with clinically relevant levels); 23% had previously medically diagnosed mental health disorders. 56% of respondents "definitely" wanted help for fatigue; 53% for incontinence; 42% for pain; 29% "definitely" wanted help with all three symptoms. Factors associated with all three symptoms were Crohn's disease (vs. ulcerative colitis), IBD activity, IBD Control score, anxiety, depression, and history of surgery (all p ≤ 0.0001).

CONCLUSIONS

Fatigue, pain and incontinence are common in IBD and patients desire help for these symptoms, currently a substantial unmet need. Anxiety and depression are common, are underdiagnosed, and are independently associated with these symptoms.

Supported Intervention Versus Intervention Alone for Management of Fecal Incontinence in Patients With Inflammatory Bowel Disease: A Multicenter Mixed-Methods Randomized Controlled Trial

PURPOSE

The aims of this study were to test a noninvasive self-management intervention supported by specialist nurses versus intervention alone in patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) experiencing fecal incontinence and to conduct a qualitative evaluation of the trial.

DESIGN

Multicenter, parallel-group, open-label, mixed-methods randomized controlled trial (RCT).

SUBJECTS AND SETTING

The sample comprised patients from a preceding case-finding study who reported fecal incontinence and met study requirements; the RCT was delivered via IBD outpatient clinics in 6 hospitals (5 in major UK cities, 1 rural) between September 2015 and August 2017. Sixteen participants and 11 staff members were interviewed for qualitative evaluation.

METHODS

Adults with IBD completed the study activities over a 3-month period following randomization. Each participant received either four 30-minute structured sessions with an IBD clinical nurse specialist and a self-management booklet or the booklet alone. Low retention numbers precluded statistical analysis; individual face-to-face or telephone interviews, recorded digitally and transcribed professionally, were conducted to evaluate the RCT. Transcripts were analyzed thematically using an inductive method.

RESULTS

Sixty-seven participants (36%) of the targeted 186 participants were recruited. The groups comprised 32 participants (17% of targeted participants) allocated to the nurse + booklet intervention and 35 (18.8% of targeted participants) allocated to the booklet alone. Less than one-third (n = 21, 31.3%) completed the study. Given the low recruitment and high attrition, statistical analysis of quantitative data was considered futile. Participant interviews were conducted concerning study participation and 4 themes emerged that described experiences of patients and staff. These data provided insights into reasons for low recruitment and high attrition, as well as challenges of delivering resource-heavy studies in busy health service environments.

CONCLUSIONS

Alternative approaches to trials of nurse-led interventions in hospital settings are needed as many interfering factors may prevent successful completion.

Faecal incontinence in inflammatory bowel disease: The Nancy experience

BACKGROUND

Faecal incontinence (FI) is a disabling condition in patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). The diagnosis of FI is not easy as patients are reluctant to report this embarrassing symptom. The objectives of this study were to characterize the prevalence of FI in IBD patients using available scoring systems, and to identify associated risk factors.

METHODS

A FI clinic was implemented in routine practice between January 2020 and April 2021. FI was defined as a Wexner score ≥5. Factors associated with FI were analyzed.

RESULTS

A total of 319 consecutive patients with IBD were included. The prevalence of FI was 16.4% (53/319). Age >45 years at inclusion (Odd ratio (OR)=3.33, Confidence interval (CI) 95% 1.40-7.94), diarrhea (three stools at least per day) (OR=2.94, CI 95% 1.16-7.45), stool consistency according to the Bristol stool chart (OR=2.23, CI 95% 1.00-4.99), and abdominal pain (OR=2.24, CI 95% 1.10-4.53) were independently associated with FI in a multivariate model analysis.

CONCLUSIONS

Approximately one fifth of IBD patients reported FI in this real-world cohort, using an available scoring system. Increased age, diarrhea, stool consistency according to the Bristol stool chart, and abdominal pain were associated with FI. A systematic screening of FI would allow a better management of this disabling condition.

Bowel frequency (night) and urgent defecation are improved by budesonide foam in patients with ulcerative colitis: a retrospective observational study

Introduction

Patients with ulcerative colitis (UC) are known to have a significantly poor quality of life due to bowel frequency (night) and urgent defecation. Budesonide foam is a topical medication that was approved in Japan in 2017 for the treatment of UC. However, its efficacy in the treatment of bowel frequency (night) or urgent defecation is unknown. This study aimed to explore the efficacy of budesonide foam for the alleviation of these symptoms.

Methods

UC patients who received budesonide foam between December 2017 and January 2020 at the Jikei University School of Medicine in Tokyo were enrolled. The simple clinical colitis activity index (SCCAI) was evaluated at the start of budesonide foam treatment and 2 and 6 weeks later in patients who initially scored ≥ 1 for bowel frequency (night) and urgent defecation, respectively. We also studied the effect of budesonide foam on remaining symptoms in patients who had used 5-aminosalicylic acid (5-ASA) topical treatment, those with SCCAI ≥ 3, and those in remission with residual symptoms (SCCAI 1 or 2).

Results

Of the 233 enrolled patients, 102 were eligible for the study. In 36 patients with bowel frequency (night) treated with budesonide foam were significantly effective, score in SCCAI decreased from 1.17 ± 0.45 at baseline to 0.53 ± 0.61 at week 2 (p < 0.0001) and 0.17 ± 0.38 at week 6 (p < 0.0001). In 45 patients with urgent defecation score in SCCAI decreased significantly from 1.33 ± 0.52 at baseline to 0.44 ± 0.59 at week 2 (p < 0.0001) and 0.22 ± 0.40 at week 6 (p < 0.0001). Of 22 patients who switched from topical 5-ASA administration to budesonide foam, nine at week 2 (41%) and 11 (50%) at week 6 were improved with no symptoms, and there were no cases of worsened symptoms. No severe side effects associated with budesonide foam were observed.

Conclusion

Budesonide foam administration significantly improves both bowel frequency (night) and urgent defecation-related UC activity and is also effective for the patients who were refractory to topical 5-ASA administration.

A Novel Digital Self-management Intervention for Symptoms of Fatigue, Pain, and Urgency in Inflammatory Bowel Disease: Describing the Process of Development

Background

Empirical studies and systematic reviews have demonstrated the role of biological, cognitive, behavioral, and emotional factors in fatigue, pain, and urgency in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Behavioral management that addresses the cognitive, behavioral, and emotional factors offered alongside medical treatment is seldom available to people with IBD. Digital interventions provide a potentially scalable and cost-effective way of providing behavioral support to patients.

Objective

This paper aimed to describe the process of developing a supported digital self-management intervention for fatigue, pain, and urgency in IBD using theory and evidence-based approaches and stakeholder input.

Methods

The Medical Research Council framework for complex health interventions and a person-based approach were used to guide intervention development, consulting with 87 patients with IBD and 60 nurses. These frameworks informed the selection and use of a theoretical model that subsequently guided cognitive behaviorally based intervention content. They also guided the design of tailored digital intervention pathways for individuals with IBD that matched the predominant symptoms.

Results

A transsymptomatic cognitive behavioral framework of symptom perpetuation was developed for the symptoms of fatigue, pain, and urgency in IBD. A logic model was used to define the intervention techniques. Patient feedback and qualitative interviews refined the website content and functionalities, including the use of visual aids, email reminders, and graphical tracking of symptoms. Nurse focus groups informed the volume and delivery model of the therapist facilitator support. Ratings of acceptability out of 10 following feasibility testing (31/87, 36%) demonstrated accessibility (scoring 9.43, SD 1.040), ease (scoring 8.07, SD 3.205), clarity, and the relevant tone of the intervention. The final intervention comprised 12 web-based sessions (8 core and 4 symptom-specific), with one 30-minute facilitator phone call following session 1 and subsequent on-site messaging.

Conclusions

The use of theory and integration of stakeholders’ views throughout informed the development of an evidence-based digital intervention for fatigue, pain, and urgency in IBD. This is the first web-based self-management intervention designed to address these multiple symptoms with the aim of improving the quality of life and reducing the symptom burden of IBD. The intervention is being tested in a large multicenter randomized controlled trial.

Trial Registration

ISRCTN Registry ISRCTN71618461; https://www.isrctn.com/ISRCTN71618461

Patient Strategies for Managing the Vicious Cycle of Fatigue, Pain and Urgency in Inflammatory Bowel Disease: Impact, Planning and Support

BACKGROUND

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) causes inter-related symptoms of fatigue, pain and urgency which can persist in remission.

AIM

To understand how people with IBD experience and self-manage these symptoms and to inform the future development of an online self-management programme.

METHODS

Using exploratory qualitative methods, we recruited participants from clinic and community settings. Focus groups, conducted across the UK, were audio-recorded and professionally transcribed. Transcripts were analysed over four rounds using framework analysis. Eight patients were consulted to agree the final structure of data and themes.

RESULTS

Seven focus groups were held; five gave useable data. Twenty-six participants (15 female; ages 21-60 years; disease duration 2-40 years) with Crohn's disease (n = 10), ulcerative colitis (n = 14) and IBD-unclassified (n = 2) attended one of these five focus groups. Three core themes emerged: The Negative Impact of Symptoms, Positively Taking Control and Seeking and Receiving Support. The persistent, often stark impact of multiple co-existing symptoms on physical and emotional wellbeing can force unwanted adjustments and limitations in working, social and intimate arenas of life. Unpredictable symptoms are challenging and impact each other in negative vicious cycles. Managing diet, pacing, accepting background levels of fatigue, pain and urgency, seeking support, exercising and attending to mental wellbeing, are all perceived as helpful in self-managing symptoms.

CONCLUSION

Fatigue, pain and urgency are troublesome for patients, especially in combination, suggesting that these should be addressed simultaneously by clinicians. Participants reported several strategies for self-management, providing patient-focused evidence to inform future development of a self-management intervention programme.

Potential of Electrical Neuromodulation for Inflammatory Bowel Disease

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a common chronic inflammatory disease of the digestive tract that is often debilitating. It affects patients' quality of life and imposes a financial burden. Despite advances in treatment with medications such as biologics, a large proportion of patients do not respond to medical therapy or develop adverse events. Therefore, alternative treatment options such as electrical neuromodulation are currently being investigated. Electrical neuromodulation, also called bioelectronic medicine, is emerging as a potential new treatment for IBD. Over the past decade, advancements have been made in electrical neuromodulation. A number of electrical neuromodulation methods, such as vagus nerve stimulation, sacral nerve stimulation, and tibial nerve stimulation, have been tested to treat IBD. A series of animal and clinical trials have been performed to evaluate efficacy with promising results. Although the exact underlying mechanisms of action for electrical neuromodulation remain to be explored, this modality is promising. Further randomized controlled trials and basic experiments are needed to investigate efficacy and clarify intrinsic mechanisms.