Health Dictionary
Reliable, easy-to-read patient information on common medical conditions — written in plain language, free of jargon, and grounded in current evidence. Browse the most frequent diagnoses, understand what they mean for everyday life, and learn which steps and questions help you have a focused conversation with your doctor.
Encopresis history and symptoms
Introduction
History and Symptoms
History and Symptoms
- Inability to retain feces (bowel incontinence)
- Passing stool in inappropriate places (generally in the child’s clothes)
- Secretive behavior associated with bowel movements
- Constipation and hard stools
- Occasional passage of very large stool that almost blocks up the toilet
- Painful defecation
- Blood in stools (this is usually due to painful fissures in anus)
- Stool-withholding behavior: Child may be noted to spend long periods of time standing in a corner prior to soiling. This can be mistaken for exaggerated attempts at defecation.
- If also Day-time-wetting (urinary incontinence not at night) co-exists, an organic cause has to be sought.
Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]