Treatment of faecal incontinence

Treatment of faecal incontinence

The targets of treatment of fecal incontinence are the internal and external sphincters, sensation, stool consistency, rectal filling and improvement of physical functioning.

Increasing stool consistency can be reached with the non-pharmacological treatment of increasing dietary fiber intake. Other non-pharmacological treatment consists of biofeedback training.

This aims at both increasing maximal squeeze pressure of the external sphincter and improvement of the rectal sensation in response to stool in the rectum. In some cases, surgery is the best option.

Besides improving symptoms of diarrhea, very few drugs have been designed for fecal leakage. Loperamide has been shown to increase stool consistency. Locally applied phenylephrine increases internal sphincter pressure.

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Loperamide therapy is indicated for: