ิิิboth urinary and fecal incontinence can have distressing physical, emotional, and psycho- social consequences, including loss of skin in-
tegrity due to persistent wetness or irritation from feces, embarrassment brought on by soiled clothing or odor, and self-imposed social isolation. Neverthe- less, only 15% to 20% of patients with urinary in- continence and 43% of those with fecal incontinence seek professional care for the problem.1-3 Instead, they try to cope with the condition on their own, with variable success.1, 4