Comparing the Effectiveness of Two Dietary Interventions for Fecal Incontinence

Sponsor
University of Michigan (Other)
Overall Status
Completed
CT.gov ID
NCT02828384
Collaborator
The Rome Foundation (Other)
40
1
2
56
0.7

Study Details

Study Description

Brief Summary

Background:

Fecal incontinence (FI) is a common complaint, and is often associated with diarrhea and urgency. Foods that are high in fermentable oligo-, di-, and mono-saccharides and polyols (FODMAPs) cause symptoms of diarrhea and urgency. Thus, assessing the impact of a low FODMAP diet in FI patients is needed.

Aims:
  1. Compare the treatment response with a low FODMAP vs. psyllium based on number of episodes in patients with FI.

  2. Compare the efficacy of a low FODMAP diet vs. psyllium in patients with FI on pre-specified clinical and quality of life endpoints.

Methods:

This is a prospective, randomized control trial of adults meeting the Rome III criteria for FI and at least 1 episode of FI due to loose stool per week. After a 2 week screening period and randomization, during which the severity of symptoms will be assessed and eligibility determined, patients will be randomized to psyllium vs. low FODMAP diet for 4 weeks. A total of 20 patients will be recruited for each arm.

The primary endpoint will be treatment response based on number of incontinence episodes. A treatment response is defined as a reduction in the number of FI episodes/week.

Condition or Disease Intervention/Treatment Phase
  • Other: low fodmap diet
  • Dietary Supplement: Psyllium
Phase 2

Study Design

Study Type:
Interventional
Anticipated Enrollment :
40 participants
Allocation:
Randomized
Intervention Model:
Parallel Assignment
Masking:
Single (Investigator)
Primary Purpose:
Treatment
Official Title:
Comparing the Effectiveness of Two Dietary Interventions for Fecal Incontinence: a Randomized, Controlled Trial.
Actual Study Start Date :
Oct 2, 2014
Actual Primary Completion Date :
Jun 1, 2019
Actual Study Completion Date :
Jun 1, 2019

Arms and Interventions

Arm Intervention/Treatment
Active Comparator: low fodmap diet

Subjects receive formalized teaching in low fodmap diet by a dietician

Other: low fodmap diet
dietary teaching

Active Comparator: psyllium

subjects receive 7.1 g of psyllium daily

Dietary Supplement: Psyllium
7.1g of psyllium daily

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

  1. Change in number of FI episodes from baseline to week 4 [4 weeks from baseline]

    Will compare baseline number of FI episodes to number of FI episodes at week 4

Secondary Outcome Measures

  1. number of people responding with decreased score in stool consistency [4 week span from baseline]

    For stool consistency, a responder with improvement will be defined as one who reports a decrease in mean daily BSFS value ( on a scale of 1-7 with 7 being watery stool) of 1 or more compared to baseline for ≥2 of 4 treatment weeks. The proportion of responders between the 2 groups will be compared.

  2. number of people responding with reduction in stool frequency [4 weeks from baseline]

    The number of bowel movements will be recorded each day. Mean daily stool frequency will be averaged for each treatment group at baseline and weekly through week 4. These averages will be compared for the two groups.

  3. Change in stool wet weight [4 weeks from baseline]

    The difference in stool mean wet weight between baseline and during week 4 will be calculated. The change from baseline for each group will be compared.

  4. Change in Fecal incontinence severity index (FISI) [4 weeks from baseline]

    Compare baseline fecal incontinence severity index with 4 week FISI score.

  5. Change in Fecal incontinence quality of life measure (FIqol) [4 weeks from baseline]

    Compare baseline fecal incontinence quality of life with 4 week Fiqol score

  6. Change in Short Form Health survey-36 [4 weeks from baseline]

    Compare baseline generalized QOL with 4 week SF-36

  7. Number of participants with reduction in fecal incontinence episodes of ≥50% during weeks 3 & 4 of each diet compared with baseline [4 weeks from baseline]

    Responders are those participants with a reduction in FI episodes of > 50%. The reduction will be measured by the change in mean number of episodes in week 3 and 4 (averaged) from baseline.

Eligibility Criteria

Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study:
18 Years to 90 Years
Sexes Eligible for Study:
All
Accepts Healthy Volunteers:
No

Inclusion Criteria

  1. Experience at least 1 episode/week of unintentional loss of stool associated with diarrhea/loose stool (Bristol stool scale of 5 or greater).

  2. Subjects aged 18 and older meeting the Rome III criteria for Functional Fecal incontinence diagnostic criteria:

Recurrent uncontrolled passage of fecal material in an individual and one or more of the following:

  1. Abnormal functioning of normally innervated and structurally intact muscles

  2. Minor abnormalities of sphincter structure and/or innervation

  3. Normal or disordered bowel habits, (i.e., diarrhea) Criteria fulfilled for the last 3 months

Exclusion Criteria

  1. Abnormal innervation caused by lesion(s) within the brain (e.g., dementia), spinal cord, or sacral nerve roots, or mixed lesions (e.g., multiple sclerosis), or as part of a generalized peripheral or autonomic neuropathy

  2. Anal sphincter abnormalities associated with a multisystem disease (e.g., scleroderma)

  3. Structural or neurogenic abnormalities believed to be the major or primary cause of fecal incontinence

  4. Have cognitive dysfunction or unable to understand or provide written informed consent

  5. Pregnancy

  6. FI with solid stool only

  7. Comorbid medical problems that may affect gastrointestinal transit or motility: Inflammatory bowel disease, Extraintestinal disease known to affect the gastrointestinal system (i.e., scleroderma, unstable thyroid disease, etc.),Severe renal or hepatic disease

  8. Previous abdominal surgery other than appendectomy, cholecystectomy, and gynecologic/urologic surgery.

  9. . Previous treatment with low FODMAP diet.

  10. Concurrent medications not permitted including probiotics, antibiotics, and narcotics.

  11. Active participation in another form of dietary therapy.

Contacts and Locations

Locations

Site City State Country Postal Code
1 University of Michigan Ann Arbor Michigan United States 48109

Sponsors and Collaborators

  • University of Michigan
  • The Rome Foundation

Investigators

  • Principal Investigator: Stacy B Menees, MD, University of Michigan

Study Documents (Full-Text)

None provided.

More Information

Publications

None provided.
Responsible Party:
Stacy Menees, Assistant Professor, University of Michigan
ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier:
NCT02828384
Other Study ID Numbers:
  • 00079064
First Posted:
Jul 11, 2016
Last Update Posted:
Aug 28, 2019
Last Verified:
Aug 1, 2019
Keywords provided by Stacy Menees, Assistant Professor, University of Michigan
Additional relevant MeSH terms:

Study Results

No Results Posted as of Aug 28, 2019