SEATTLE, Jan. 18 (UPI) -- A U.S. survey finds that fecal incontinence is common among women, especially as they get older.
A mail survey of 3,000 patients of a health maintenance organization in Washington state found that 7.2 percent reported at least once a month involuntarily releasing feces in either solid or liquid form.
Women who have had several children or have had hysterectomies are at greater risk. The condition also appears to be linked to depression and to urinary incontinence.
"Increased attention should be paid to this debilitating condition, especially considering the aging of our population and the available treatments for FI," said senior Dr. Dee E. Fenner of the University of Michigan Medical School, a senior author of the paper. "It is very important to the health of women that clinicians are aware of the prevalence of FI and can treat their patients accordingly."
The study was published in the Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology. Researchers at the University of Washington were also involved.
