Prevalence of faecal incontinence in patients with inflammatory bowel disease: Severity and its relationship with quality of life.
Tal Ilsar, Michal Liebergall-Wischnitzer, Amy Solnica and 3 others
PMID 38877678WHAT IT FOUND
Most patients with inflammatory bowel disease reported faecal incontinence, but only 14 of 96 were asked about it during their last clinic visit.
Severity correlated with lower quality of life, not with disease activity.
Key findings
0188.5% of the 96 participants reported having faecal incontinence.
02Only 14.58% of patients reported being asked by their healthcare provider about faecal incontinence at their last clinic visit.
03Faecal incontinence severity showed significant weak to moderate correlations with quality of life in all scales except self-embarrassment.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The study used a non-probability convenience sample, which may not represent the broader population of patients with inflammatory bowel disease. Disease activity was assessed using physician tools that do not measure faecal incontinence, potentially explaining the lack of correlation. The online questionnaire format may have excluded patients without access to or comfort with digital platforms. The cross-sectional design cannot determine whether faecal incontinence caused the reduced quality of life or was associated with it.
Declared interests
The authors report no potential or actual conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume that faecal incontinence severity tracks with disease activity. This study found no significant correlation between the two, suggesting that incontinence can occur independently of flare-ups and requires separate assessment.