What are the symptoms of anal incontinence?

Many people suffer from anal incontinence because it seriously interferes with their lives and daily routines. Some patients may become unconscious or suffer from fecal contamination around the anus, which may cause ulcers and scars.

1. Symptoms and Signs

1. Fecal incontinence has different causes and degrees, so the clinical manifestations are also different. The manifestations of some cases are masked by the main lesions, such as patients with brain trauma and cerebrovascular accident, who are unconscious and have feces and urine in their beds. In addition to paying attention during nursing, people should focus on the treatment of the brain condition.

2. Cases of Hirschsprung's disease are mainly manifested by constipation, abdominal distension and extreme bloating of the abdomen. Due to the large amount of feces filling the colon, the coordinated function of the colon and rectum is out of control. In addition, factors such as the lack of intestinal wall nerves and the pressure of hard feces on the rectum cause fecal incontinence and fecal water leaking out from the hard feces. Among patients with anal incontinence after common anorectal surgery, some cases have mild symptoms, complaining of uncontrollable loose stools during diarrhea, while some patients complain of frequent mucus and feces contamination in the perineum. Some patients also complain of being unable to control their bowel movements at will or at night. There are also varying degrees of uncontrollable manifestations such as leakage of feces during exhaust.

3. Physical examination: In severe cases, the anus may be open and round, with fecal contamination, ulcers, eczema, scars, defects, deformities, etc. around the anus. If you use your two thumbs to separate the buttocks, you can see the rectal mucosa through the relaxed anus. Partial scarring of the anal canal may reveal the rectal mucosa or rectal cavity.

2. Diet and Health Care

Improve the dietary structure. After discharge from the hospital, it is advisable to eat high-protein, high-calorie, easily digestible, fiber-rich foods to facilitate smooth bowel movements. Increase the dietary fiber content in the diet, supplying an average of 6.8g per day. Dietary fiber will not be absorbed by the body, but it can increase the volume of stool, stimulate intestinal peristalsis, help restore intestinal function, increase the regularity of bowel movements, and effectively improve anal incontinence.