TABLE 2.
Symptoms of constipation and faecal incontinence in 67 hEDS/HSD patients (cases; cohort 1) versus 134 control patients
| Variable | hEDS/HSD cohort 1 | Controls | p‐value |
|---|---|---|---|
| n = 67 | n = 134 | ||
| n (%) | n (%) | ||
| Constipation | |||
| Cleveland clinic constipation score (%) a | |||
| Bowel movements (≤ once per week) | 25 (37.3) | 42 (31.3) | 0.716 |
| Painful evacuation effort (≥sometimes) | 56 (83.6) | 101 (75.4) | 0.185 |
| Feeling incomplete evacuation (≥sometimes) |
64 (95.5) |
128 (95.5) |
0.999 |
| Abdominal pain (≥sometimes) | 61 (91.0) | 112 (82.4) | 0.101 |
| Minutes in lavatory per attempt (≥10 min) | 41 (61.2) | 77 (57.5) | 0.613 |
| Assistance for defaecation (digital assistance or enema) | 40 (59.7) | 90 (67.2) | 0.297 |
| Unsuccessful attempts per 24 h (≥ 3 attempts) | 53 (79.1) | 112 (83.6) | 0.435 |
| Duration of constipation (≥5 years) | 51 (76.1) | 82 (61.2) | 0.035 |
| Total score (median, interquartile range) | 19 (15–22) | 17 (14–21) | 0.074 |
| Score ≥ 12 (%) | 65 (97.0) | 117 (87.3) | 0.027 |
| Rome III criteria functional constipation (%) | |||
| Straining (≥25%) | 62 (92.5) | 124 (92.5) | 0.999 |
| Lumpy or hard stool (≥25%) | 19 (28.4) | 41 (30.6) | 0.744 |
| Feeling incomplete evacuation (≥25%) | 64 (95.5) | 128 (95.5) | 0.999 |
| Feeling anorectal obstruction (≥25%) | 60 (89.6) | 117 (87.3) | 0.645 |
| Manual manoeuvres (≥25%) | 31 (46.3) | 65 (48.5) | 0.765 |
| <3 defaecations per week | 37 (55.2) | 72 (53.7) | 0.841 |
| Faecal incontinence | |||
| St Marks incontinence score | |||
| Median, (interquartile range) | 6 (3–12) | 6 (2–12) | 0.661 |
| Faecal urgency (%) | 32 (47.8) | 61 (45.5) | 0.764 |
| Rome III criteria for faecal incontinence (≥ monthly, %) | 26 (33.8) | 46 (34.3) | 0.934 |
a
Proportion of patients with a score of ≥2 per symptom category, the description of these cut offs is provided in brackets.