Table 3 Percentage (%) of subjects indicating to suffer from individual items listed in QPGS-RIII related to FC at several time-points during the study

Defecation frequency (≤ 2x/week)

60.9^a

8.5^b

6.5^b

7.0 ^b

61.7^a

20.8^b

0^c

6.3^b,c

Consistency (hard or very hard)

89.1^a

26.7^b

2.2^c

4.5^c

93.6^a

16.7^b

2.2^b

6.4^b

Faecal incontinence¹ (yes)

37.0^a

17.0^a,b

4.3^b

9.1^b

51.1^a

12.5^b

14.6^b

10.4^b

Painful defecation (yes)

89.1^a

44.7^b

23.9^b,c

13.6^c

93.6^a

36.2^b

20.8^b,c

12.5^c

Large stool (yes)

50.0^a

31.9^a,b

8.7^c

11.4^b,c

53.2^a

27.1^a,b

12.5^b

12.5^b

Presence of a large fecal mass in the rectum (yes)

60.9^a

21.3^b

10.9^b

9.1^b

51.1^a

20.8^b

12.5^b

4.2^b

Stooling avoidance

89.1^a

74.5^a,b

47.8^b

20.5^c

78.7^a

62.5^a

29.2^b

33.3^b

Once/week

Unknown

31.9

37.0

13.6

Unknown

22.9

14.6

22.9

Several times

Unknown

36.2

8.7

4.5

Unknown

29.2

12.5

8.3

Every day

Unknown

6.4

2.2

2.3

Unknown

10.4

2.1

2.1