Anal leakage
Anal leakage is a medical condition of fecal incontinence. Anal leakage affects about 2% of adults.
Symptoms - Anal leakage refers to a loosening of stool, making it more runny. This effect can become so excessive that it causes a kind of diarrhea that may stream from the anus uncontrollably.
Causes
Diet
Foods that make the consistency of the feces more funny such as a heavy intake of beer can make it difficult for the anus to retain loose stools.
In the United States, the fat substitute olestra (Olean), used in some reduced-calorie foods, has gained unwelcome publicity for this reason. Most of this publicity was due to an FDA warning indicating that excessive consumption of olestra could result in loose stools. However, the FDA no longer required this warning from 2003 onwards. Baked chips, however, have not demonstrated the same effects.
Foods which cause gas may also make leakage more likely. With the expulsion of gas, some fecal material may be released at the same time.
Other Causes
Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is another common cause, as bowel muscle contractions associated with IBS may result in difficulty retaining feces in the large intestine.
Childbirth can also be a causal factor. After giving birth, more than 1 in 10 women found that they had difficulty in controlling gas, or fecal leakage [citation needed]. The reasons are many fold: damage to anal muscles, an episiotomy, or damage to the pudendal nerve may occur during childbirth. The problem may increase with age or from giving birth to a large baby [citation needed].
It is quite common to have both fecal incontinence and incontinence of urine. A study of women with urine incontinence found that almost 1 in 4 also had some leakage of feces (Obstetrics and Gynecology 2002;100:719–23).
Fecal leakage is also quite common in older people because the anal muscle becomes weaker with age. One reason may be constipation. This condition is called ‘overflow incontinence’.
Recent studies have shown that anal leakage can also manifest itself in individuals who partake in strenuous anal intercourse. The longest ever recorded continuous expulsion of faecal matter is attributed to George Silber, a 21 year old male residing in London, who had various homosexual relationships involving anal intercourse. Silber was part of a scientific investigation into the effects of anal penetration on the residual elasticity of the sphincter and relationship between sphincter elasticity and anal leakage. This study was performed at the University of Edinburgh during 1999 and is documented in the British Medical Journal (1999;318;452-455).
Medications
Some medications make the feces looser and therefore more prone to anal leakage. Misoprostol (a medication for stomach and duodenal ulcers that is sometimes prescribed for elderly people) may also lead to anal leakage [citation needed].
Orlistat (Xenical) is a diet pill that works by blocking the enzymes that digest fat. As a result, fat cannot be absorbed from the gut, and instead some fat is excreted in the feces instead of ending up as part of visceral fat. This undigested fat is passed in the stools and as a result, can cause oily anal leakage.
Vitamin C tablets that have a coating and do not dissolve easily may contribute to this issue, because they can find their way to the intestine before dissolving completely. One way to mitigate this may be to take a readily dissolving or pre-dissolved vitamin C supplement.