Among people over the age of 65, women more frequently experience bowel incontinence, with 13 out of every 1,000 women reporting loss of bowel control. The most common cause of bowel incontinence, ironically, is constipation. Constipation causes the muscles of the anus and intestines to stretch and weaken. The weakened muscles will prevent the rectal sphincter from tightly closing thus resulting in leakage of stool. Weakened intestinal muscles will further slow down the transit time of the bowels, making it difficult to pass stools and further worsening the constipation. Chronic stretching of the anal and intestinal muscles can also make the nerves of the anus and rectum less responsive to the presence of stool in the rectum. The ability to hold stool and maintain continence requires normal function of the rectum, anus, and the nervous system. Additionally, the person must possess the physical and psychological ability to recognize and appropriately respond to the urge to defecate. Problems with incontinence should be reported to the health care provider. Incontinence is not a hopeless situation. Proper treatment can help the majority of people, and often the problem can be eliminated altogether.
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