Urine and stool incontinence often occur together

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Almost one in five women with urinary incontinence also experience fecal incontinence, researchers report.

Dr. Alayne Markland of the University of Alabama at Birmingham told Reuters Health, "Women with bowel/fecal incontinence often feel as though nothing can be done for their condition. Often, health care providers may address urinary incontinence, but not bowel/fecal incontinence."

As they report in the April issue of the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Markland's group studied data on 307 women taking part in a study of urinary incontinence treatment, to gain more information on the prevalence of dual incontinence.

The researchers established that in addition to urinary incontinence, 18 percent of the women experienced fecal incontinence, defined as loss of a liquid or solid stool at least once per month.

Factors associated with stool incontinence included having had one or more vaginal deliveries, and vaginal wall prolapse.

Quality-of-life scores were almost 10 points lower in patients who had bowel and bladder incontinence, compared to those with isolated urinary incontinence.

Markland concluded, "Addressing and treating urinary and bowel incontinence simultaneously may have a significant impact on improving patients' quality of life."

SOURCE: American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, April 2009.