Fecal Urgency in Ulcerative Colitis: Impact on Quality of Life and Psychological Well-Being in Active and Inactive Disease States

Gaurav B Nigam; Jimmy K Limdi; Sebastian Bate; Shaheen Hamdy; Dipesh H Vasant

doi:10.1016/j.cgh.2023.12.019

Fecal Urgency in Ulcerative Colitis: Impact on Quality of Life and Psychological Well-Being in Active and Inactive Disease States

Clin Gastroenterol Hepatol. 2023 Dec 25:S1542-3565(23)01054-6. doi: 10.1016/j.cgh.2023.12.019. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Gaurav B Nigam¹, Jimmy K Limdi², Sebastian Bate³, Shaheen Hamdy², Dipesh H Vasant⁴

Affiliations

¹ Translational Gastroenterology Unit, Nuffield Department of Medicine, John Radcliffe Hospital, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom. Electronic address: Gaurav.nigam@nhs.net.
² Division of Diabetes, Endocrinology and Gastroenterology, University of Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom; Northern Care Alliance NHS Foundation Trust, Greater Manchester, United Kingdom.
³ Manchester Academic Health Science Centre, Research and Innovation, Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust, Manchester, United Kingdom; Centre for Biostatistics, Division of Population Health, Health Services Research and Primary Care, University of Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom.
⁴ Neurogastroenterology Unit, Gastroenterology Department, Wythenshawe Hospital, Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust, Manchester, United Kingdom; Division of Diabetes, Endocrinology and Gastroenterology, University of Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom. Electronic address: dipesh.vasant@manchester.ac.uk.

PMID: 38151168
DOI: 10.1016/j.cgh.2023.12.019

Abstract

Ulcerative colitis (UC) is a chronic, relapsing-and-remitting, potentially progressive form of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) with multidimensional and often negative effects on patients' lives. Fecal urgency, the sudden and compelling desire to defecate, often accompanied by impaired bowel control leading to frequent and urgent trips to the bathroom, is a distressing symptom, experienced by more than 50% of patients with UC.¹ Physicians frequently underestimate the burden of fecal urgency on patients' lives, with ramifications ranging from disruption in daily activities, social interactions, and emotional distress with resultant impairment in quality of life (QoL).^2,3.