Are bowel and bladder problems linked?
There are a number of conditions that could lead to faecal soiling and lack of bladder control. The first is constipation; some children who become constipated will start to soil their underwear and may also start to wet themselves during the day or night. Emotional problems could also cause a child who has previously had good bowel and bladder control to start wetting and soiling themselves. More rarely a child might have a medical condition such as spina bifida which results in the nerves that control the bladder and bowels not working properly, and this might result in constant severe daytime wetting as well as faecal soiling. Parents would be wise to take their child to the doctor if they are having trouble with both wetting and soiling, to make sure that none of these three types of problems is the underlying cause.
