CONTEXT: Anal incontinence is increasingly being recognised as a significant cause of physical and psychological morbidity with implications for healthcare provision within the community. There is controversy about which population groups are most disadvantaged by this chronic condition. OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of this condition in the community according to age and gender, a systematic review was performed. DATA SOURCES: Data were from Embase, Medline, bibliographies of known articles and contact with experts. STUDY SELECTION: Studies were selected if data on anal incontinence could be extracted for participants over 15 years of age and living in the community. DATA EXTRACTION: Data were extracted using a piloted form on participants' characteristics, study quality and incontinence rates. DATA SYNTHESIS: Meta-analysis was used to combine data from multiple studies, and meta-regression evaluated the variation in rates according to age and gender in an analysis adjusted for study quality. RESULTS: There were 29 studies (69,152 participants), of which 5 met over half of the high quality criteria. The rate of solid and liquid faecal incontinence among people aged 15-60 years was 0.8% [95% confidence interval (CI) 0.3-1.9] in men and 1.6% (95% CI 0.8-3.1) in women. In those aged over 60, this increased to 5.1% (95% CI 3.4-7.6) in men and 6.2% (95% CI 4.9-8.0) in women. Meta-regression showed that age had a significant influence on rates of solid and liquid faecal incontinence (p = 0.007), but not gender (p = 0.368) or study quality (p = 0.085). CONCLUSIONS: The rate of solid and liquid faecal incontinence in older people is significantly higher than their younger counterparts. Gender differences in rates did not reach statistical significance.
CONTEXT: Anal incontinence is increasingly being recognised as a significant cause of physical and psychological morbidity with implications for healthcare provision within the community. There is controversy about which population groups are most disadvantaged by this chronic condition. OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of this condition in the community according to age and gender, a systematic review was performed. DATA SOURCES: Data were from Embase, Medline, bibliographies of known articles and contact with experts. STUDY SELECTION: Studies were selected if data on anal incontinence could be extracted for participants over 15 years of age and living in the community. DATA EXTRACTION: Data were extracted using a piloted form on participants' characteristics, study quality and incontinence rates. DATA SYNTHESIS: Meta-analysis was used to combine data from multiple studies, and meta-regression evaluated the variation in rates according to age and gender in an analysis adjusted for study quality. RESULTS: There were 29 studies (69,152 participants), of which 5 met over half of the high quality criteria. The rate of solid and liquid faecal incontinence among people aged 15-60 years was 0.8% [95% confidence interval (CI) 0.3-1.9] in men and 1.6% (95% CI 0.8-3.1) in women. In those aged over 60, this increased to 5.1% (95% CI 3.4-7.6) in men and 6.2% (95% CI 4.9-8.0) in women. Meta-regression showed that age had a significant influence on rates of solid and liquid faecal incontinence (p = 0.007), but not gender (p = 0.368) or study quality (p = 0.085). CONCLUSIONS: The rate of solid and liquid faecal incontinence in older people is significantly higher than their younger counterparts. Gender differences in rates did not reach statistical significance.
Authors: D F Stroup; J A Berlin; S C Morton; I Olkin; G D Williamson; D Rennie; D Moher; B J Becker; T A Sipe; S B Thacker Journal: JAMA Date: 2000-04-19 Impact factor: 56.272
Authors: D A Drossman; Z Li; E Andruzzi; R D Temple; N J Talley; W G Thompson; W E Whitehead; J Janssens; P Funch-Jensen; E Corazziari Journal: Dig Dis Sci Date: 1993-09 Impact factor: 3.199
Authors: Alayne D Markland; Patricia S Goode; Kathryn L Burgio; David T Redden; Holly E Richter; Patricia Sawyer; Richard M Allman Journal: J Am Geriatr Soc Date: 2010-06-01 Impact factor: 5.562
Authors: Diaa E E Rizk; Hazem A Hassan; Ahmed H Al-Marzouqi; Gaber A Ramadan; Soha S Al-Kedrah; Sayel A Daoud; Mohamed A Fahim Journal: Int Urogynecol J Pelvic Floor Dysfunct Date: 2007-09-18
Authors: Sara B Cichowski; Yuko M Komesu; Gena C Dunivan; Clifford Qualls; Rebecca G Rogers Journal: Int Urogynecol J Date: 2014-05-08 Impact factor: 2.894