Abstract

Abstract Background Literature on prevalence of fecal incontinence (FI) in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and associated factors has not been thoroughly studied. IBD is a chronic disease with high morbidity and significant impact on quality of life. Awareness of prevalence and associated factors of FI would make gastroenterologists more conscious of its burden, leading to targeted clinical assessment and treatment. Methods We conducted a cross-sectional study, looking at risk factors for FI and its impact on quality of life. The study population consisted of IBD patients aged from 16 to 80 years old in an IBD clinic in Switzerland. Patients with a stoma, a J-Pouch and an unspecified IBD were excluded. The survey had 53 questions, with demographics and main clinical variables. The quality of life of patients was assessed using the World Health Organization quality of life scale. Disease severity was measured based on the short Crohn’s disease activity index (SCDAI) for Crohn’s disease (CD) and using the simple clinical colitis activity index (SCCAI) for Ulcerative colitis (UC). Logistic regression was used to calculate crude and adjusted odds ratio (OR), applying 95% confidence intervals (CI). Results 450 questionnaires were randomly distributed. 392 patients met the inclusion criteria. 116 patients (29.5%) reported FI. Factors associated with FI included: age > 50 years old [OR 2.74 (CI: 1.57-3.89)]; one or more vaginal delivery [OR 2.49 (CI: 1.32-4.71)];disease duration > 15 years [OR 2.04 (CI: 1.31-3.16)], abdominal pain [OR 2.56 (CI: 1.60-4.09)], diarrhea [OR 3.70 (CI: 2.26-6.04)], blood in stool [OR 3.33 (1.88-5.89)], more than 3 bowel movements/day [OR 4.50 (CI: 2.79-7.26)],night bowel movements [OR 3.98 (CI: 2.36-6.71)] and an SCCAI ≥ 3 [OR 6.06 (CI: 2.62-14.02)]. There was also a positive association between the presence of one or more extraintestinal manifestation (EIM) [OR 1.64 (CI: 1.03-2.61)] and FI. General well-being [OR 2.61 (CI: 1.65-4.14)] was inversely associated with FI. Similarly, depression and anxiety were associated with FI, respectively; [OR 2.43 (CI: 1.27-4.68) and OR 1.88 (CI: 1.07-3.30)]. Noticeably, 35.3% of patients with FI could not hold their stools for more than 5 minutes, and 14.7% were unable to hold their stools for more than a minute. Conclusion FI was highly prevalent (29.5%) in our survey. Age, vaginal delivery, disease duration >15 years, abdominal pain, diarrhea, blood in stool, >3 bowel movements /day, night bowel movement, SCCAI ≥ 3, ≥ 1 EIM were associated with FI. The quality of life was significantly impacted, and anxiety and depression were associated with FI. These implications highlight the need for interventions aimed at enhancing physical and mental health outcomes among individuals with IBD.

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