Bowel or fecal incontinence is defined as involuntary passage of stools. It’s more widespread than most people think, as more than six million Americans suffer from it. It’s often psychologically and socially distressing and can have quite an impact on the quality of life. While it is more common in older people, it can affect anyone, children and adults. Bowel incontinence can be successfully treated.

There are many different causes of bowel incontinence. Constipation, diarrhea, structural damage to certain muscles or nerves are the most common ones. Continence is maintained by a complex mechanism that depends on the proper functioning of the nervous system, anus and rectum. If any of these aren’t functioning as they should, the result could be fecal incontinence.

One of the most common causes of bowel incontinence is constipation. Chronic constipation can lead to fecal impaction, which is a large mass of dry, hard stool within the rectum. Liquid stool from higher in the bowel may eventually move around the hard mass and leak out.

Chronic diarrhea can also cause bowel incontinence, because liquid stool is more difficult to control. Diarrhea may be caused by infection, diet, irritable bowel, medications, Crohn’s disease, etc. In many cases it can be successfully treated.

Damage to the anal sphincter muscles that is most commonly caused by childbirth of anal surgery can also lead to incontinence. When damaged, these muscles are not strong enough to keep the stool inside.

If the nerves that control the anal muscles or those that regulate rectal sensation become damaged, this can result in incontinence. Nerve damage may occur due to a number of conditions or events, from childbirth to stroke and neurologic disorders.

Many people with fecal incontinence think that nothing can help them. And because it’s still a taboo subject, they don’t like to talk about it, not even with a doctor. It’s important to understand that fecal incontinence is a treatable condition.