Skip to main content
Log in

Urgency and fecal soiling in people with bowel dysfunction

  • Original Articles
  • Published:
Digestive Diseases and Sciences Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

The frequency of urgency and fecal soiling in the population and among people with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), and the association of these symptoms with health care seeking is unknown. Among 1128 students and hospital employees that we surveyed, urgency was reported in 14.4%, fecal soiling in 5.3%, and diarrhea in 9.0%. Most persons with fecal soiling did not report urgency or diarrhea. Although bowel dysfunction compatible with IBS was present in 20% (227), only 29% of this group (65) had seen a physician for bowel complaints. People with bowel dysfunction were more likely to be women, to take laxatives, and to have rectal urgency. Fecal soiling was more likely among those with bowel dysfunction who had been to the doctor, and included almost half of the men in this group. There was no difference in the frequency of diarrhea reported among those with bowel dysfunction regardless of whether they had been to the doctor. These data suggest fecal soiling may influence people with bowel dysfunction to go to the doctor. Physiological studies are needed to determine if anal sphincter dysfunction is a component of IBS.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Cann PA, Read NW, Holdsworth CD, Barends D: Role of Loperamide and placebo in management of irritable bowel. Dig Dis Sci 29:239–247, 1984

    Google Scholar 

  2. Rubin L, Wald A, Schuster MM: Unrecognized common features of irritable bowel syndrome. Gastroenterology 76: 1230, 1979

    Google Scholar 

  3. Read NW, Harford WV, Schmulen AC, Read MG, Santa Ana C, Fordtran JS: A clinical study of patients with fecal incontinence and diarrhea. Gastroenterology 76:747–756, 1979

    Google Scholar 

  4. Sandler RS, Drossman DA, Nathan HP, McKee DC: Symptom complaints and health care seeking behavior in subjects with bowel dysfunction. Gastroenterology 87:314–318, 1984

    Google Scholar 

  5. Drossman DA, Sandler RS, McKee DC, Lovitz AJ: Bowel patterns among subjects not seeking health care. Use of a questionnaire to identify a population with bowel dysfunction. Gastroenterology 83:529–534, 1982

    Google Scholar 

  6. Kleinbaum L, Kupper L, Morganstern H: Epidemiologic Research. Belmont, California, Litetime Learning Publication, 1982

    Google Scholar 

  7. Thompson WG, Heaton KW: Functional bowel disorders in apparently healthy people. Gastroenterology 79:283–288, 1980

    Google Scholar 

  8. Whitehead WE, Winget C, Fedoravicius AS, Wooley S, Blackwell B: Learned illness behavior in patients with irritable bowel syndrome and peptic ulcer. Dig Dis Sci 27:202–208, 1982

    Google Scholar 

  9. Milne JS: Prevalence of incontinence in the elderly age groups.In Incontinence in the Elderly. EL Willington (ed). London, Academic Press, 1976, pp 9–21

    Google Scholar 

  10. Leigh RJ, Turnberg LA: Faecal incontinence: The unvoiced symptom. Lancet 1:1349–1351, 1982

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Drossman, D.A., Sandler, R.S., Broom, C.M. et al. Urgency and fecal soiling in people with bowel dysfunction. Digest Dis Sci 31, 1221–1225 (1986). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01296523

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01296523

Keywords

Navigation