Obstetric sphincter injury interacts with diarrhea and urgency to increase the risk of fecal incontinence in women with irritable bowel syndrome

Dietary Intake and Symptom Severity in Women with Fecal Incontinence

INTRODUCTION AND HYPOTHESIS

The goal of this study was to determine whether dietary fat/fiber intake was associated with fecal incontinence (FI) severity.

METHODS

Planned supplemental analysis of a randomized clinical trial evaluating the impact of 12-week treatment with percutaneous tibial nerve stimulation versus sham in reducing FI severity in women. All subjects completed a food screener questionnaire at baseline. FI severity was measured using the seven-item validated St. Mark's (Vaizey) FI severity scale. Participants also completed a 7-day bowel diary capturing the number of FI-free days, FI events, and bowel movements per week. Spearman's correlations were calculated between dietary, St. Mark's score, and bowel diary measures.

RESULTS

One hundred and eighty-six women were included in this analysis. Mean calories from fats were 32% (interquartile range [IQR] 30-35%). Mean dietary fiber intake was 13.9 ± 4.3 g. The percentage of calories from fats was at the higher end of recommended values, whereas fiber intake was lower than recommended for adult women (recommended values: calories from fat 20-35% and 22-28 g of fiber/day). There was no correlation between St. Mark's score and fat intake (r = 0.11, p = 0.14) or dietary fiber intake (r = -0.01, p = 0.90). There was a weak negative correlation between the number of FI-free days and total fat intake (r = -0.20, p = 0.008). Other correlations between dietary fat/fiber intake and bowel diary measures were negligible or nonsignificant.

CONCLUSION

Overall, in women with moderate to severe FI, there was no association between FI severity and dietary fat/fiber intake. Weak associations between FI frequency and fat intake may suggest a role for dietary assessment in the evaluation of women with FI.

Irritable bowel syndrome worsens faecal incontinence after primary repair of major obstetric anal sphincter injuries

AIM

Obstetric anal sphincter injuries (OASIS) occur in approximately 3%-6% of vaginal deliveries and are the leading risk factor for late-onset faecal incontinence, which is an underdiagnosed pathology. The aim of this work was to use a validated scoring system to quantify the effect of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) on the severity of faecal incontinence symptoms after primary repair of major OASIS (Grade IIIb-IV).

METHOD

A prospective cohort study was performed on all women who underwent primary repair of major OASIS over a 6-year period. They were assessed with ultrasonography within 12 weeks. Two control groups (who did not have OASIS) were women who underwent elective caesarean section and primigravid women. Questionnaires were sent at least 12 months after delivery, or at first consultation for primigravids, which generated the main outcome measures: Cleveland Clinic faecal incontinence severity scores and the presence of IBS based on Rome III criteria.

RESULTS

There was a total of 211 patients included in the three groups and the mean follow-up time was 26 months after sphincter repair. Ultrasonographic sphincter defects were detected in 37% but did not affect the faecal incontinence score (p = 0.47), except in patients with IBS. Within each group, patients with IBS had significantly worse faecal incontinence than those without. Women with both OASIS and IBS had the most severe faecal incontinence scores.

CONCLUSION

OASIS has a limited negative effect on faecal incontinence, independent of whether residual ultrasonographic sphincter defects are present. However, the presence of IBS has a significant compounding effect on faecal incontinence in OASIS patients. The effect of IBS on faecal incontinence is also notable in caesarean section patients and primigravids, suggesting that IBS is an independent risk-factor that should have its place in predelivery assessment and counselling.

The Mexican consensus on fecal incontinence

Fecal incontinence is the involuntary passage or the incapacity to control the release of fecal matter through the anus. It is a condition that significantly impairs quality of life in those that suffer from it, given that it affects body image, self-esteem, and interferes with everyday activities, in turn, favoring social isolation. There are no guidelines or consensus in Mexico on the topic, and so the Asociación Mexicana de Gastroenterología brought together a multidisciplinary group (gastroenterologists, neurogastroenterologists, and surgeons) to carry out the «Mexican consensus on fecal incontinence» and establish useful recommendations for the medical community. The present document presents the formulated recommendations in 35 statements. Fecal incontinence is known to be a frequent entity whose incidence increases as individuals age, but one that is under-recognized. The pathophysiology of incontinence is complex and multifactorial, and in most cases, there is more than one associated risk factor. Even though there is no diagnostic gold standard, the combination of tests that evaluate structure (endoanal ultrasound) and function (anorectal manometry) should be recommended in all cases. Treatment should also be multidisciplinary and general measures and drugs (lidamidine, loperamide) are recommended, as well as non-pharmacologic interventions, such as biofeedback therapy, in selected cases. Likewise, surgical treatment should be offered to selected patients and performed by experts.

Fecal incontinence in nonpregnant nulliparous women aged 25 to 64 years-a randomly selected national cohort prevalence study

BACKGROUND

The extent to which fecal incontinence is associated with obstetrical history or pelvic floor injuries is still a controversial and unresolved issue. One crucial first step toward answering this question is the need to study fecal incontinence in nonpregnant, nulliparous women.

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this study was to present detailed, descriptive measures of the accidental leakage of liquid or solid stool and gas in a randomly selected, large national cohort of nonpregnant, nulliparous women aged 25 to 64 years.

STUDY DESIGN

The Swedish Total Population Register identified the source population. Four independent, age-stratified, simple random samples in a total of 20,000 nulliparous women aged 25 to 64 years were drawn from 625,810 eligible women. Information was collected in 2014 using postal and web-based questionnaires. The 40-item questionnaire included questions about the presence and frequency of the leakage of solid and liquid stool and gas, which provided the basis for the generic terms fecal and anal incontinence. Statistical analyses of the differences between the groups were performed using the Fisher's exact test for dichotomous variables and the Mann-Whitney U-test for continuous variables. The trend between >2 ordered categories of dichotomous variables was analyzed with Mantel-Haenszel statistics. When analyzing the trend between multiple ordered vs nonordered categorical variables, the Kruskal-Wallis test was used. The age-related probability and risk increase per 10 years for incontinence parameters was calculated from logistic regression models adjusted for body mass index.

RESULTS

The study population was 9197 women, and the response rate was 52.2%, ranging from 44.7% in women aged 25 to 34 years to 62.4% among those from 55 to 64 years. All the types of incontinence, except severe isolated gas incontinence, increased with age up to 64 years. The estimated probability of fecal incontinence was 8.8% at age 25 years and 17.6% at age 64. The leakage of liquid stool was dominant, occurring in 93.1% (95% confidence interval, 91.4-94.5) of the women with fecal incontinence, whereas leakage of solid stool occurred in 33.9% (95% confidence interval, 31.1-36.7), of which approximately 80% also had concomitant leakage of liquid stool. The leakage of liquid stool increased markedly up to age 65, whereas the increase in the isolated leakage of solid stool was negligible across all ages (overall <0.4%). Liquid and solid stool, separate or in combination, co-occurred with gas in approximately 80%. The distribution pattern of the different types of leakage, single or combined, was similar in all the age groups. Both age and body mass index (kg/m²) were risk factors for fecal incontinence (P<.0001), with an interaction effect of P=.16.

CONCLUSION

Abnormal stool consistency has been identified as the strongest risk factor for accidental bowel leakage. The same pattern characterized by a dominance of liquid stool and gas leakage, prevalent concomitant leakage of solid and liquid stool, and a negligible rate of isolated leakage of solid feces was observed across all ages. The low rates of isolated leakage of solid stool support the impression that dysfunction of the continence mechanism of the pelvic floor had a negligible role for bowel incontinence, which is essential information for comparison with women with birth-related injuries.

Irritable Bowel Syndrome and Quality of Life in Women With Fecal Incontinence

OBJECTIVES

The objectives of this work were to determine the prevalence of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and IBS subtypes in women presenting for fecal incontinence (FI) treatment and to assess the impact of IBS on FI symptoms and quality of life (QOL).

METHODS

In this multicenter prospective cohort study, women reported at least monthly solid, liquid, or mucus FI. Rome III clinical criteria defined IBS. Women also self-reported having an IBS diagnosis. Baseline questionnaires included the following: Modified Manchester Health Questionnaire, Fecal Incontinence Severity Index, Bristol Stool Scale, Pelvic Floor Distress Inventory, and the Pelvic Floor Impact Questionnaire.

RESULTS

Of the 133 women enrolled, 119 completed Rome III IBS questionnaires, and 111 reported on whether they had a previous diagnosis of IBS. The prevalence of IBS was 31% (95% confidence interval [CI], 22.9%-40.2%) according to the Rome III IBS criteria. The most common subtypes were IBS-mixed (41%) and IBS-diarrhea (35%). Twenty-four (22%) of 111 patients had a previous diagnosis of IBS. Among women who met Rome III IBS criteria, 23 (66%) of 35 women had never had a diagnosis of IBS. Women with FI and IBS reported significantly worse QOL compared to women without IBS despite similar FI severity and stool consistency.

CONCLUSIONS

Irritable bowel syndrome negatively affects QOL and affects one third of women with FI presenting for care in tertiary centers. Our findings suggest that assessment of IBS symptoms and diagnosis may be important for women presenting for FI treatment.