Bowel Incontinence: MedlinePlus [NEW TOPIC PAGE]

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Bowel Incontinence: MedlinePlus

Bowel Incontinence

Also called: encopresis, stool soiling 

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Bowel incontinence is the inability to control your bowels. When you feel the urge to have a bowel movement, you may not be able to hold it until you get to a toilet. More than 5.5 million Americans have bowel incontinence. It affects people of all ages - children and adults. It is more common in women and older adults, but it is not a normal part of aging.
Causes include

• Constipation
• Damage to muscles or nerves of the anus and rectum
• Diarrhea
• Pelvic support problems

Treatments include changes in diet, medicines, bowel training, or surgery.

NIH: National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases

MEDICAL ENCYCLOPEDIA  

• Bowel incontinence
• Bowel retraining
• Encopresis

Related Topics

• Anal Disorders
• Bowel Movement
• Digestive System

National Institutes of Health

• The primary NIH organization for research on Bowel Incontinence is the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases