Anal leakage, or fecal incontinence, is the accidental passing of stool from the anus. Anal leakage can range from an occasional leak when passing gas to completely losing control of the bowel.

Fecal incontinence is a common problem that affects about i in 3 people who become to the medico's office and approximately xix million adults in the United States.

a woman looking uncomfortable because she has a Anal leakage Share on Pinterest
A person with urge incontinence may feel a sudden need to have a bowel movement.

There are ii common types of fecal incontinence:

  • Urge incontinence: A person has a stiff urge to have a bowel movement, but it occurs so all of a sudden that they are unable to arrive to the toilet in time.
  • Passive incontinence: A person has a bowel motility without being aware that they need to pass stool.

People with fecal incontinence may also feel other symptoms, such as:

  • gas and bloating
  • diarrhea
  • constipation
  • soiling their underwear

There are many causes of fecal incontinence. For some people, a combination of issues is responsible for this issue.

Diarrhea

Diarrhea causes a person's rectum to fill up quickly with loose, watery stool. Loose stool is more hard to continue in the rectum than solid stool, causing or worsening fecal incontinence.

Digestive tract issues may cause diarrhea. These include:

  • irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)
  • inflammatory bowel disease (IBD)
  • proctitis

Constipation

The findings of a Dutch study suggest that constipation and fecal incontinence occur together in iii.5% of the population. Among the report participants, this cooccurrence was significantly more probable in people aged 18–34 years old.

Potential causes of constipation with fecal incontinence include:

  • Fecal overflow: When people have severe constipation, a large corporeality of hard, dry stool becomes stuck in the rectum, which is known equally fecal impaction. Equally the person has problem passing the impacted stool out of the anus, the bowel starts to leak watery stool around the blockage. This overflow of watery stool might look like diarrhea and soil underwear.
  • Pelvic flooring weakness: If a person has constipation and strains excessively, their pelvic floor may weaken, which could lead to fecal incontinence.
  • Rectum emptying disorders: If someone has a status that prevents them from completely emptying their rectum, they may experience the leakage of stool subsequently a bowel movement.

Muscle injury

The muscles in the pelvic floor, rectum, and anus can go injured or weakened past:

  • cancer surgery
  • hemorrhoid removal
  • surgery for anal abscesses and fistulas
  • childbirth
  • trauma

Impairment and weakness in these areas may affect the ability of the anus to remain airtight, which allows stool to leak out.

Nerve impairment

If the nerves that control a person's pelvic floor, rectum, and anus sustain harm, they may no longer work properly. It may become difficult for a person to know when they have stool in the rectum, which can atomic number 82 to fecal incontinence.

Causes of nerve damage include:

  • childbirth
  • constant straining during bowel movements
  • stroke
  • encephalon injury
  • spinal cord injury

Neurological diseases

Fecal incontinence is mutual among people with neurological diseases that bear on the fretfulness that play a part in the office of the pelvic floor, rectum, and anus. These diseases include:

  • multiple sclerosis
  • dementia
  • Parkinson'south disease
  • type 2 diabetes
  • stroke

Loss of rectal storage capacity

The rectum normally stretches to store stool. If the rectum becomes inflamed or scarred, it can stiffen, which limits how much it tin stretch.

Causes of rectal inflammation and scarring include:

  • rectal surgery
  • pelvic radiation therapy
  • IBD

Hemorrhoids

When a person has hemorrhoids, the anus is unable to close completely, which causes small amounts of stool to leak out of the opening.

Rectal prolapse

Rectal prolapse is a status that causes part of a person'southward rectum to protrude out of their anus. Fecal incontinence can occur when a rectal prolapse prevents the muscles around the anus from endmost.

Rectocele

Rectocele is a status that occurs when the muscles that split up the vagina and rectum weaken, allowing the rectum to bulge through the vaginal opening.

A person may find it hard to empty their bowels fully considering of the rectocele. Minor amounts of stool may be retained in a rectocele later a bowel motion and seep out of the anus.

Pregnancy and childbirth

Fecal incontinence may affect upwardly to about 10% of pregnant women and 2–eight% of women three months subsequently childbirth.

Fecal incontinence may sometimes last longer, with 9–12% of women reporting fecal incontinence half dozen–12 years afterward delivery.

Research has suggested that a third- or quaternary-caste rupture of the anal sphincter during childbirth is most commonly responsible for postpartum fecal incontinence.

Concrete inactivity

When people are inactive for several hours each day, solid stool may begin to build up in the rectum. Fecal incontinence may occur when liquid stool starts to leak around the solid stool.

The crusade of fecal incontinence will decide the method of treatment.

A 2016 study suggests that conservative management, which may involve dietary changes, bowel training, pelvic floor strengthening exercises, and medicines, may result in a lx% comeback in symptoms and cease fecal incontinence in about ane in 5 people.

Dwelling remedies

Fecal incontinence treatments that a person can try at dwelling include:

  • Antidiarrheal drugs: Over-the-counter (OTC) medicines, such as loperamide (Imodium) or bismuth subsalicylate (Pepto-Bismol), can treat fecal incontinence if diarrhea is the cause.
  • Bulk laxatives: OTC laxatives, stool softeners, and fiber supplements can relieve fecal incontinence if the cause is constipation. These medicines include methylcellulose (Citrucel) and psyllium (Metamucil).
  • Dietary changes: Making dietary changes can relieve or prevent fecal incontinence. A doctor tin can explain which foods and beverages worsen diarrhea then that a person can avert them. Eating more than fiber and drinking more than liquids may alleviate constipation and hemorrhoids.
  • Bowel training: A doctor may suggest that a person trains to take a bowel motility at specific times of the day to help them gain greater bowel command.
  • Pelvic flooring exercises: Tightening and relaxing the muscles in the pelvic floor, rectum, and anus tin can strengthen them. A 2019 written report found that people who followed a supervised pelvic flooring muscle training programme had college odds of reporting an improvement in fecal incontinence symptoms than those who did not.

Medical treatments

Fecal incontinence treatments that a physician may recommend include:

  • Biofeedback therapy: This handling uses devices to help people larn how to strengthen and control their pelvic flooring surface area.
  • Sacral nerve stimulation: The sacral nerves control the rectum, colon, and anal sphincter. Electrical stimulation of the sacral nerves tin can assist them work properly.
  • Prescription medicines: A medico may prescribe medicine if OTC products are non effective.
  • Vaginal airship: A doctor may recommend a device that inflates a balloon inside the vagina. The inflated airship puts pressure on the rectal area, which prevents stool from leaking out. A person tin add air to the device or remove it to control the passing of stool.
  • Nonabsorbable bulking agents: These are substances that a doctor can inject into the wall of the anus to prevent leakage.
  • Surgery: A dr. may recommend surgery if all other treatments are unsuccessful or if an injury to the anal sphincter or pelvic floor muscles is causing fecal incontinence.

Anyone who has persistent fecal incontinence should see a doctor.

The physician can determine the underlying crusade and recommend the appropriate treatment.

Anal leakage, better known as fecal incontinence, is a common symptom of many conditions and injuries.

At-home treatments, such equally OTC medications, dietary changes, and bowel grooming, tin can often better or terminate the symptoms birthday.

If home treatments do non piece of work, a doc can diagnose and treat the underlying cause of fecal incontinence.