Apanemia Health Centre

Archive for the ‘Encopresis’ Category

Treatment

If your child has encopresis because of chronic constipation, treatment consists of the following three steps:
- Remove the intestines large mass of fecal material, this often involves medications (laxatives) by mouth, but sometimes it is necessary to place enemas or rectal suppositories.
- Prevent constipation of the rectum: the child may need to take a stool softener for six months or more, as lactulose (sold in different brand names) or mineral oil to help stool easier and more comfortable. It can take several weeks or even months of regular bowel movements until the intestines have become enlarged to normal size and regain its normal muscle tone. Read the rest of this entry »

Duration

In about half of children with encopresis, the problem goes away by itself within two years. Most children with encopresis stop soiling in mid-adolescence.

Prevention

To help prevent encopresis caused by chronic constipation, you can:
- Avoided for a time to feed your child foods that cause constipation, especially bananas, apples, white rice, cheese and jelly. Too much milk can also be a problem, so ask your doctor about how much milk is considered appropriate for your child. Read the rest of this entry »

Symptoms

In most children with encopresis, the most obvious signs are soiled underwear and foul smell (the smell of fecal matter). Other signs and symptoms may include:

- periods of constipation (no bowel movements) alternating with very long deposition
- traces of blood on the outside of the stool or on toilet paper that was used to clean up after a bowel movement.
- pain in lower abdomen or rectum
- laundry with fecal material hidden in closets, under the bed or other places
- bedwetting, probably related to the pressure of large, hard mass of stool in the rectum, this occurs in about 40% of cases of encopresis Read the rest of this entry »

It is called encopresis or fecal incontinence when a child defecates (move your bowels) in your underwear or on any other inappropriate place. The medical definition of encopresis says that the child should be at least 4 years, age at which most children can control bowel movements. However, some experts believe that every child of 3 years is not taught to control bowel has encopresis. Encopresis occurs in 1 to 2% of school-age children in America. Children often suffer more from this problem than girls.

In 9 out of 10 children with encopresis, the problem is related to chronic constipation, which means that bowel movements are infrequent and the stool is hard and dry.

When you need a stool, it is deposited in the bottom of the bowel (rectum), which relaxes the walls of the intestines. This feeling of distended bowel is usually what makes us feel the need to go to the bathroom. However, if the bowel wall is stretched over a long period and no bowel movement, the rectum loses its natural muscle tone and sensitivity. This makes it increasingly more difficult portions of stool are placed in the rectum. Read the rest of this entry »