Investigators at Mayo Clinic zero in on incontinence.

According to recent research published in the American Journal of Gastroenterology, "Though most women with fecal incontinence (FI) have anorectal dysfunctions, a majority have intermittent symptoms. Variations in bowel habits and daily routine may partly explain this."

"To compare bowel habits and daily routine between controls and FI, and between continent and incontinent stools among women with FI. Using a mailed questionnaire, we identified 507 women with FI among 5,300 women in Olmsted County, MN. Bowel habits were compared among 127 randomly selected controls and 154 women with self-reported FI, who did (''active'' FI, N = 106) or did not (''inactive'' FI, N = 48) have an incontinent episode during a 2-wk bowel diary period. Independent risk factors for FI were: rectal urgency (odds ratio [OR] for inactive FI vs controls 5.6, 95% confidence interval [CI] 2.3-13.3; and OR for active FI vs inactive FI 2.0, 95% CI 0.9-4.3) and a sense of incomplete evacuation (OR for inactive FI vs controls 3.5, 95% CI 1.4-8.8; and OR for active FI vs inactive FI 2.2, 95% CI 1.1-4.9). Similar results were found for stool frequency and form. Among incontinent women, incontinent stools (versus continent stools) were less formed, more likely to occur at ...