What is Fecal Incontinence? Overview
Fecal Incontinence is the condition in which the victims become unable to control their bowel movements. Therefore, it results in the leakage of feces from the rectum unintentionally. This condition is also named bowel incontinence, and in some patients, there is only occasional leakage, while there are some victims in which it may result in the loss of bowel control completely.
Symptoms
It is pertinent to figure out whether you are suffering from fecal incontinence, then it is important to find out the main symptoms of the disease so you can go for the treatment. Keep in mind that it is a temporary condition that happens due to diarrhea for some patients. On the other hand, this condition is recurring and chronic in some people.
Furthermore, people who are suffering from this condition lose their ability to feel an urge to defecate. In addition, it is so sudden and urgent that it becomes almost impossible for them to reach the toilet in time. This condition is named urge incontinence.
Along with fecal incontinence, the sufferer may have to go through the following bowel problems as well:
- Constipation
- Diarrhea
- Bloating and gas
Causes of the Fecal Incontinence
Muscle Damage
Injury or damage to the rings of muscles situated at the rectum’s end is called an anal sphincter. It makes it challenging to keep your stool held back.
Nerve Damage
If you have any injury in the rectum nerves that are responsible for sensing stool. In addition, the damage to the nerves that are involved in controlling the anal sphincter can also become a reason for fecal incontinence.
Constipation
Chronic constipation may result in the hard, dry mass of stool that forms in your rectum, and it becomes extremely large, and it will become challenging to pass. So, the muscles present in your intestine and rectum will stretch and at last, they will become weak and permit the watery stool to move along with the impacted stool, and thus it will leak out from your body.
Diarrhea
The solid stool is convenient to maintain in your rectum compared to the loose stool. Therefore, loose stools can make your fecal incontinence worse.
Hemorrhoids
In this condition, the veins around your rectum will swell. So, it will make your anus unable to close completely, and the stool will leak out.
Some Other Cause
In addition to this, there are a handful of other causes that can become the reason for fecal incontinence. So, here we are going to mention those causes:
Loss of rectum’s storage capacity
Surgery
Rectal Prolapse
Rectocele
Final Thoughts
To sum up the article, we would like fecal incontinence to need to be diagnosed and treated well. If you ignore it, it can become the reason for many other health-related complications. So, it is extremely significant to go for treatment as soon as possible. If you have any queries feel free to ask in the comments section.