ABSTRACT
The prevalence of fecal incontinence in the general population ranges between 0.5 and 1.5%. As fecal incontinence is a problem mostly concerning elderly patients, its significance is growing with the proportional increase of the older age groups in the general population. There are no investigations concerning the socioeconomic significance of fecal incontinence, although there are estimates that more than half of the patients living in residential homes were referred to institutional care because of their incontinence. Fecal incontinence is highly confounding in every-day life and patients suffering from this symptom tend not to mention it when giving their medical history. Incontinent patients often complain about diarrhea, and it could be demonstrated that more than 50% of a patient group complaining about diarrhea suffered from fecal incontinence. Fecal incontinence often means social isolation and is rarely mentioned even in contact with close relatives or medical advisers.
