The severity of fecal incontinence can be assessed by a scoring system which takes into account the type and frequency of incontinence as well as the extent to which it alters the patient's life. This can also be used to monitor the patient over time, especially after interventions.
|
Finding |
Never |
Rarely |
Some-times |
Usually |
Always |
|
solid stool incontinence |
0 |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
|
liquid stool incontinence |
0 |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
|
gas |
0 |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
|
wears pad |
0 |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
|
lifestyle alteration |
0 |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
|
definitions |
per month |
per week |
per day |
|
rarely |
< 1 time |
|
|
|
sometimes |
>= 1 time |
<= 1 time |
|
|
usually |
|
>= 1 time |
< 1 time |
|
always |
|
|
>= 1 time |
incontinence score =
= (points for solid stool) + (points for liquid stool) + (points for gas) + (points for wearing pad) + (points for lifestyle alteration)
Interpretation:
• A score of 0 indicates perfect control.
• A score of 20 indicates complete incontinence.
Interesting notes on fecal incontinence (as of 1993):
(1) $400 M are spent annually on adult diapers
(2) at least 3 million Americans are affected
(3) in Britain at least 4.2 per 1000 overall population have fecal incontinence alone or together with urinary incontinence
(4) double incontinence is the term for both fecal and urinary incontinence
(5) in persons over 65 the prevalence is 11 per 1000 in men and 13 per 1000 in women
Specialty: Gastroenterology
