title: Ageing with neurogenic bowel dysfunction.
abstract: METHODS
  Longitudinal study with postal survey.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To describe changes in the patterns of neurogenic bowel dysfunction and bowel management in a population of people with spinal cord injury (SCI) followed for two decades.
  
  
  METHODS
  Members of the Danish SCI Association.
  
  
  METHODS
  In 1996, a validated questionnaire on bowel function was sent to the members of the Danish SCI Association (n=589). The same questionnaire was sent to all the surviving members in 2006 (n=284) and in 2015 (n=178). A total of 109 responded to both the 1996 and 2015 questionnaires.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Comparing data from 2015 with those from the exact same participants in 1996, the proportion of respondents needing more than 30 min for each defaecation increased from 21 to 39% (P<0.01), the use of laxatives increased (P<0.05) and the proportion considering themselves very constipated increased from 19 to 31% (P<0.01). In contrast, the proportion suffering from faecal incontinence remained stable at 18% in 1996 and 19% in 2015. During the 19-year period, there had been no significant change in the methods for bowel care, but 22 (20%) had undergone surgery for bowel dysfunction, including 11 (10%) who had some form of stoma.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Self-assessed severity of constipation increased but quality of life remained stable in a cohort of people with SCI followed prospectively for 19 years. Methods for bowel care remained surprisingly stable but a large proportion had undergone stoma surgery.
authors.affiliation: Neurogastroenterology Unit, Department of Hepatology and Gastroenterology, Aarhus University Hospital, Aarhus, Denmark.
authors.forename: S D
authors.initials: SD
authors.lastname: Nielsen
authors.affiliation: Pelvic Floor Unit, Department of Surgery, Aarhus University Hospital, Aarhus, Denmark.
authors.forename: P M
authors.initials: PM
authors.lastname: Faaborg
authors.affiliation: Danish Pain Research Centre, Department of Clinical Medicine, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark.
authors.forename: N B
authors.initials: NB
authors.lastname: Finnerup
authors.affiliation: Pelvic Floor Unit, Department of Surgery, Aarhus University Hospital, Aarhus, Denmark.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Christensen
authors.affiliation: Neurogastroenterology Unit, Department of Hepatology and Gastroenterology, Aarhus University Hospital, Aarhus, Denmark.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Krogh
mesh_terms: D000375:Aging; D003248:Constipation / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000534:rehabilitation; D003718:Denmark; D059026:Diagnostic Self Evaluation; D018450:Disease Progression; D005242:Fecal Incontinence / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000534:rehabilitation; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D055496:Neurogenic Bowel / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011788:Quality of Life; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D013119:Spinal Cord Injuries / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000534:rehabilitation; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires