The functional and psychosocial impact of fecal incontinence on women with urinary incontinence

• DOI: 10.1067/mob.[phone]
• Publication Date: 2003-07-14T13:52:56Z
• Authors: M.F. Fialkow; J.L. Melville; G.M. Lentz; E.A. Miller; J. Miller; D.E. Fenner
• Keywords: Fecal Incontinence

The study was undertaken to determine the impact of fecal incontinence (FI) on functional status and quality of life in women with urinary incontinence (UI).In 24 months 732 women completed a standardized assessment and questionnaire, including the Short Form (SF)-12 and Incontinence Quality of Life (I-QOL) scores. Analysis of variance was used to compare SF-12 scores between groups defined as having UI, FI, or both UI and FI. I-QOL scores in patients with UI or UI and FI were compared by using the Student t test.Of the 732 patients enrolled, 425 patients had either UI (n = 342, 80%), FI (n = 18, 4%), or both (n = 65, 15%). Greater impairment in physical functioning was seen in the group with UI and FI (38.6; P =.027) compared with the group with UI (42.4). Significant decreases in I-QOL scores were seen for the group with UI and FI compared with those with UI (P <.005).Fecal incontinence further reduces the functional status and quality of life of women with urinary incontinence.