According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC), the number of U.S. laboratories that perform DNA tests for diseases and inherited conditions is growing. The number of specific genetic tests being performed is on the rise as well. DNA tests are performed in a broad range of laboratories, including laboratories that have certificates for chemistry, pathology, clinical cytogenetics, or other medical testing specialties. Although specific nationwide data on DNA test laboratories are not yet available, medical statistics from state programs indicate considerable increases in the numbers of laboratories that perform these tests. In the state of New York alone, the labs that perform DNA testing for inheritable diseases and conditions increased 36 percent in six years, from 25 laboratories in February 2002 to 34 laboratories in October 2008. More recently, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control reported that the number of cystic fibrosis tests has increased significantly since 2001, pursuant to the recommendations of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and ACMG for preconception and prenatal carrier screening. The DNA-based cystic fibrosis mutation tests are now considered to be some of the most commonly performed genetic tests in the United States and have become an essential component of several state newborn screening programs for confirming presumptive screening results of infants.

There are many different treatment options.  The treatment will depend on the root cause of why you as a patient are experiencing fecal/bowel incontinence.  In most cases, a treatment plan is a multi-modal approach to medicine.  Treatments include pharmacological agents, lifestyle changes, and other therapies, which may include surgery. If the root cause of fecal incontinence is secondary to diarrhea, then anti-diarrheal medications or anti-spasmodic medications can offer great benefits.  These medications are over the counter and commonly referred to as Imodium or Lomotil.  If the reason the fecal incontinence is occurring is secondary to chronic constipation, then laxative may be beneficial to provide a regulated gut.  Injectable bulking agents, that are injected directly into the anal canal, can be used to prevent fecal incontinence.   Lifestyle changes include diet changes and exercise changes.  Make sure you drink plenty of fluids and consume a diet that is heavy in fiber. This can help regulate your gut and maintain an appropriate balance in the natural flora within the intestines, creating a more regulated system in which regular, soft bowel movements occur.  Performing exercises that will focus on strengthening the pelvic floor muscles can help to prevent fecal incontinence.  This training can help the patient to contract those muscles when they feel they are going to suffer fecal incontinence.

The major sign/symptom of fecal incontinence is the loss of bowel control during flatus or occasional episodes of diarrhea.  Other serious conditions causing fecal incontinence include neurologic conditions that affect the spinal cord. In many cases, these conditions cause irreversible fecal incontinence of full bowel movements without warning or control.  In this patient population, the symptoms may include increased the urgency to defecate, with the inability to voluntarily control the expulsion of stool. Fecal incontinence is when these patients have the urge to defecate so unexpectedly, that they are unable to make it to the toilet in time.  Another form of fecal incontinence is Passive Incontinence. This is a type of fecal incontinence in which patients do not feel the urge to defecate, or even acknowledge that they have to defecate, but still unexpectedly empty their bowels. It is important to remember that these symptoms can be resolved in many cases. Therefore, it is important that you speak with a healthcare provider so that the appropriate physical examination can be performed and the appropriate treatment plan can be initiated. Diagnosis of Fecal Incontinence: Your physician will begin by performing a thorough history and physical examination to determine the potential causes of fecal incontinence.

As discussed above, fecal incontinence can be a temporary symptom associated with other medical conditions or it can be a permanent and irreversible medical condition that must be treated appropriately.  Some congenital disorders that result in the patient’s inability to control stool passage includes, but is not limited to; spina bifida, myelomeningocele with associated spinal cord damage, and spinal cord damage. Other conditions that can result in fecal urgency and possible associated incontinence include inflammatory bowel diseases.  Inflammatory bowel diseases include Crohn’s disease and Ulcerative Colitis.   Post-surgical patients may experience fecal incontinence, especially if the surgery is associated with any form of sphincter injury.  For example, healthy women of reproductive age who have just given birth vaginally may be at increased risk of developing fecal incontinence.  This is because during vaginal delivery the sphincter may become disrupted or damaged, and the woman may actually suffer damage to the pudendal nerve, resulting in possible fecal incontinence.  The pudendal nerve is responsible for innervating the external anal sphincter muscle; and if it is damaged, the sphincter muscle may not work properly, resulting in fecal incontinence. Medical conditions can also contribute to increased risk of fecal incontinence.  Such conditions include;  Diabetes Mellitus, Cerebrovascular Accident (Stroke), Spinal cord damage secondary to trauma (Cauda Equina Syndrome) or any other neurodegenerative disease that may present.

Bowel Incontinence, which is commonly referred to by the medical community as Fecal Incontinence, is a medical condition that has several variances.  Bowel incontinence is defined as the loss of bowel function, resulting in the expulsion of the fecal matter.  Fecal incontinence can present as either a mild form or a more severe form.  The mild form of fecal incontinence consists of occasional bowel control loss, usually during flatulence.  The more severe form of fecal incontinence is when there is a complete loss of bowel control and complete bowel movements are expelled without the individual’s capability to prevent it.   There are some relatively common, temporary causes of bowel incontinence as well as some more severe, irreversible causes of bowel incontinence.  Temporary causes of bowel incontinence include diarrhea or food poisoning. Spinal cord damage is one of the leading causes of irreversible fecal incontinence.   Fecal incontinence is not always an easy topic to discuss with other people.  It can be quite embarrassing, to the extent that the individual does not seek evaluation by a health care provider.  It is essential to remember that healthcare providers are trained to evaluate patient’s medical conditions and symptoms.  Medical professionals help with finding the underlying cause behind what is causing the incontinence.