Fecal Encopresis in a Syrian Pediatric Population: 10 Years Experience

Abstract

Objective: To identify the etiology of encopresis in Syrian children, describe the appropriate evaluation of encopresis, and outline the management options available for encopresis. Methods: This is a retrospective study to review children, 5 to 17 years of age, who experienced at least weekly fecal soiling for 6 months or longer. These children were eligible for the study from January 1, 2010 to June 1, 2020 in pediatric gastroenterology outpatient clinic in Damascus, Syria. Results: One hundred twenty children were included in the study: 82 boys (68%) and 38 girls (32%); mean age at enrollment was 7.45 years, mean duration of symptoms before the first consultation was 58.2±38.5 months. One hundred five of these cases (87.5%) were accompanied with chronic constipation; 73 patients followed the treatment (60.8%), and 47 cases (39.2%) dropped out of the protocol. Out of 73 patients, 33 patients were cured (45.2%), 24 improved (32.8%), and 16 remained non-cured (22%). Conclusions: Despite the absence of studies in the Arab countries to review encopresis, this first Syrian study highlighted the etiology of encopresis in Syrian children, described the appropriate evaluation of encopresis, and outlined the management options available for encopresis with a comparable result with the international literature.