PurposeNumerous studies have investigated the prevalence of constipation and fecal incontinence (FI) in the general population and, even though these disorders are known to co-occur, they were studied independently of each other. Our aim was to investigate the prevalence of constipation and FI, and their co-occurrence, in the general population in the Netherlands.MethodsWe studied a cross-section of the Dutch population (N = 1259). All respondents completed the Groningen Defecation & Fecal Continence checklist. We defined constipation and FI in accordance with the Rome III criteria.ResultsWe found that 24.5% (95% CI, 22.1–26.8) suffered from constipation, 7.9% (95% CI, 6.4–9.4) suffered from FI, and 3.5% (95% CI, 2.5–4.5) suffered from both disorders. Constipated respondents were 2.7 times more likely to suffer from FI than non-constipated respondents (95% CI, 1.8–4.0). Moreover, 48.7% of the respondents with constipation, 35.0% with FI, and 38.6% in whom the disorders co-occurred qualified their bowel habits as either “good” or “very good”. We found that 49.4% of the respondents with constipation and 48.0% with FI had not discussed their complaints with anyone.ConclusionsConstipation and FI, isolated or co-occurring, are common disorders in the general population, even in young and healthy respondents. Since constipation and FI often co-occur, we recommend that patients who seek medical attention for either disorder should be examined for both. Moreover, constipation and/or FI are not always identified appropriately by patients. Therefore, physicians should take the initiative to diagnose and treat these disorders.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1007/s00384-016-2722-3) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
Overall reproducibility of the Groningen DeFeC questionnaire is acceptable and its validity is good. This makes it a feasible screening tool for defecation disorders and, equally important, with these questionnaires defecation disorders can now be monitored during the transition from childhood to adulthood.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.