Objective: The aim of this study was to document the age-specific prevalence of fecal incontinence (FI), as well as its relationship to childbirth and urinary incontinence (UI), in a community-based sample of Australian women.
Methods: A total of 444 women aged 26 to 82 years, originally recruited from a community-based research database, completed a self-administered study questionnaire. Prevalence of FI was assessed using the Pelvic Floor Distress Inventory, and UI and its subtypes were determined using the Questionnaire for Urinary Incontinence Diagnosis. Univariate (Pearson's χ tests) and multivariate logistic regression analyses were used to assess the relationship between FI type and UI adjusting for age and body mass index (BMI).
Results: Data were analyzed for 442 women. The overall prevalence of any FI was 20.7% (95% CI, 16.9%-24.5%). Loose FI was reported by 91 of 442 women, yielding a prevalence of 20.7% (95% CI, 16.9%-24.5%). Well-formed FI was reported by 20 of 442 women, yielding a prevalence of 4.5% (95% CI, 2.6%-6.4%). All the women with well-formed FI also reported problems of loose FI. The prevalence of FI increased with age up to 75 years for both types of FI. FI was not related to parity (P = 0.9). The highest proportion of any FI (24.4%) occurred in women with a parity of four or greater; however, 20.3% of nulliparous women reported FI. Within parous women, there was no significant association found between FI and history of self-reported instrumental delivery (P = 0.4). About two thirds of the women with loose and well-formed FI also reported coexisting UI. Loose FI was significantly associated with any UI (odds ratio, 2.8; 95% CI, 1.7-4.8) after adjusting for age and BMI (P < 0.001). Well-formed FI was not significantly associated with any UI after adjusting for age and BMI.
Conclusions: FI is a common condition affecting one in five adult women in the community. In our study, women with loose FI, but not well-formed FI, were more likely to have UI independent of their age and BMI. Being parous was not associated with an increased risk of any FI.