Fecal Incontinence in Elderly and Institutionalized Patients.

At any age, fecal incontinence is one of the most devastating of all nonfatal illnesses, resulting in considerable embarrassment, anxiety, and social isolation to those who suffer from it. So embarrassing is it that individuals with incontinence frequently do not volunteer this complaint to their physicians and must be asked directly about fecal incontinence [1]. The physician should also be aware that patients might complain of "diarrhea," which may be a euphemism for fecal incontinence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]