Uncontrolled fecal loss
Faecal incontinence is an unpleasant defecation disorder that consists of the involuntary and uncontrolled loss of feces and intestinal gas.
The severity of the disorder is related to the cause that it has induced: in fact, faecal incontinence varies from an occasional and modest loss of feces to a total lack of control of the anal sphincter.
Regardless of the cause and severity of the disorder, faecal incontinence always proves to be a humiliating condition that severely limits the patient's recreational, relational and working activities, with inevitable loss of self-esteem. For this reason, it is important for the patient to talk to his doctor from the earliest symptoms; in fact, there are numerous and valid therapeutic options that can clearly improve the problem and the quality of life.
Causes
The list of causes triggering fecal incontinence is quite long. The following are the most frequent:
- DISTURBANCES OF DEFECATION
Fecal incontinence is observed with a clear prevalence in patients suffering from any defecation disorder (chronic diarrhea, acute diarrhea, constipation, etc.). Chronic constipation, for example, by compacting the stool to the rectal level, progressively weakens the muscles of the rectum; this condition causes the loss of fecal control. Furthermore, chronic constipation can cause damage to the nervous system, which in turn can aggravate the fecal disorder.
Diarrhea, especially its chronic variant, can also be the cause of fecal incontinence: in fact, watery stools are more easily eliminated than hard stools, so it is not uncommon for the affected patient to lose control of the sphincters.
- LOSS OF ELASTICITY OF THE RIGHT
Another cause of faecal incontinence is to be found in the loss of elasticity of the rectum: some surgical procedures (eg those for the treatment of severe hemorrhoids), as well as obstetric injuries (caused by a long and difficult birth), they can make the last intestinal tract stiff enough to cause a total or partial inability to control the impulses to defecation. But surgical interventions are not the only ones responsible for the progressive stiffening of the rectum. In fact, even some inflammatory bowel diseases or radiation treatments (for the treatment of tumors) can have the same effect.
- URINARY INCONTINENCE
Even people who suffer from urinary incontinence tend to develop, over time, difficulties in controlling the anal sphincter, thus fecal incontinence.
- RECTAL PROLASS
Among other risk factors for faecal incontinence we cannot forget rectal prolapse (a portion of the rectum descends into the anus) and the rectocele (the rectum protrudes through the vagina).
- NEUROLOGICAL DISORDERS AND DAMAGE TO NERVES
Sometimes faecal incontinence is a collateral symptom of numerous neurological disorders, so much so that it can even be aggravated by the intake of some medicinal products (eg laxatives).
Injuries to the nerves that control the rectal tract and anal sphincters are also a frequent cause of faecal incontinence. These bundles of nerves can be torn or damaged as a result of excessive strain during evacuation (eg induced by fecal impaction or constipation), prolonged delivery, spinal cord injury (eg spina bifida), stroke and disabling diseases such as diabetes and multiple sclerosis .
Summary of the main causes linked to faecal incontinence:
- Laxative abuse
- Chronic / acute diarrhea
- Disorders of the emotional sphere and stress
- Chronic intestinal disorders: ™ irritable bowel syndrome, inflammatory bowel disease
- Severe hemorrhoids
- Bowel surgery (for example for the treatment of anal fistulas)
- Gynecological surgical interventions (for women)
- Prostate surgery (for the? Man)
- Food intolerance
- Disabling diseases: diabetes, multiple sclerosis
- Loss of elasticity in the rectum
- Rectal prolapse
- Chronic constipation
- Obstetric trauma (injury of the rectum during delivery)
Risk factors
Female sex is a risk factor for faecal incontinence: in fact, the condition has been observed much more in women than in men, probably because childbirth is a common trigger.
Although faecal incontinence may appear at any age, undoubtedly, senescence increases the risk exponentially. It is estimated that 1 in 10 women over the age of 40 is affected by this unpleasant and embarrassing disorder.
Another risk factor that cannot be underestimated for faecal incontinence is dementia: many patients with this disorder or Alzheimer's disease tend to progressively lose control of the anal sphincter.
Considering that faecal incontinence is closely linked to nerve injuries that control the stimulus to defecation, it is easy to understand how some pathologies responsible for damage to the aforementioned nerve bundles exponentially increase the risk. Not surprisingly, many patients with diabetes or multiple sclerosis also suffer from faecal incontinence.
