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Journal of Mind and Medical Sciences is published by MDPI from Volume 12 Issue 1 (2025). Previous articles were published by another publisher in Open Access under a CC-BY (or CC-BY-NC-ND) licence, and they are hosted by MDPI on mdpi.com as a courtesy and upon agreement with Valparaiso University (ValpoScholar).
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Article

LARS-like Symptoms in the General Population May Suggest the Significance of Postoperative Functional Problems and Emotional Implications of Rectal Surgery

by
Tudor-Cristian Frunza
1,2,*,
Sorinel Lunca
1,2,
Iustina Baciu
1,
Iulia Axinia
1,
Cezar Valentin Mocanu
1,
Andreea Crudu
1,
Narcis Bujor
1,
Lucia Flavia Livenschi
1,
Claudiu Alexandru Nicolaiev
1,
Andreea Hulubencu
1,
Anca Diaconu
1,
Emilia Valasciu
1,
Ioana Jalobceastai
1,
Malina Tibirna
1 and
Mihail Gabriel Dimofte
1,2
1
Grigore T. Popa University of Medicine and Pharmacy, General Berthelot Street No. 2-4, 700483 Iasi, Romania
2
Regional Institute of Oncology, 700483 Iasi, Romania
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
J. Mind Med. Sci. 2019, 6(2), 278-285; https://doi.org/10.22543/7674.62.P278285
Submission received: 14 February 2019 / Revised: 23 June 2019 / Accepted: 23 June 2019 / Published: 9 October 2019

Highlights

  • LARS-like symptoms (with important psycho-emotional impact on the affected persons) may also be present in normal healthy population.
  • Clinicians should thus estimate to what extent the observed LARS-like symptoms affect the individual before and after treatment.

Abstract

Background & Aim. Sphincter-saving rectal surgery is prone to cause changes in bowel function associated with Low Anterior Resection Syndrome (LARS). Our aim was to assess LARS-like symptoms within a population of 50-80-year old in order to understand the functional disturbances and emotional impact of LARS. Materials and methods: We used a questionnaire to evaluate LARS with the following categories of symptoms: flatulence control, anal incontinence, frequency, clustering and urgency of the stools, and the psycho-emotional impact created by the presence of these symptoms. We calculated the severity of LARS on 343 responders. Results. The average age of the responders (57.4% females) was 60 years. Overall, 48.1% of those questioned had no LARS-associated symptoms, while the rest presented either minor (39.9%) or major (12%) LARS-like symptomatology according to the assessment scale. Women have a higher relative risk (1.32) of having minor or major LARS. The frequency of stools did not correlate with the overall LARS score. The psycho-emotional impact was mostly influenced by the presence of incontinence (p = 0.001) and urgency (p = 0.05). Discussions. The study highlights the need to integrate the initial status of patients into the overall quantification of the effects of surgery on the quality of life. Age does not influence the prevalence of LARS, but symptoms seem more prevalent in women. The psycho-emotional impact is relevant to the general population, so explanations given during the informed consent and accurate description of potential consequences of surgical intervention increase compliance to ensure better post-operative control of the symptomatology. Conclusions. Deriving a normative LARS-like score may alter the interpretation and discussion of LARS scores for future rectal cancer patients, and it also provides a better understanding of the emotional impact of such symptoms on certain population subsets or cultural groups.
Keywords: LARS; general population; incontinence; urgency; psycho-emotional impact LARS; general population; incontinence; urgency; psycho-emotional impact

Share and Cite

MDPI and ACS Style

Frunza, T.-C.; Lunca, S.; Baciu, I.; Axinia, I.; Mocanu, C.V.; Crudu, A.; Bujor, N.; Livenschi, L.F.; Nicolaiev, C.A.; Hulubencu, A.; et al. LARS-like Symptoms in the General Population May Suggest the Significance of Postoperative Functional Problems and Emotional Implications of Rectal Surgery. J. Mind Med. Sci. 2019, 6, 278-285. https://doi.org/10.22543/7674.62.P278285

AMA Style

Frunza T-C, Lunca S, Baciu I, Axinia I, Mocanu CV, Crudu A, Bujor N, Livenschi LF, Nicolaiev CA, Hulubencu A, et al. LARS-like Symptoms in the General Population May Suggest the Significance of Postoperative Functional Problems and Emotional Implications of Rectal Surgery. Journal of Mind and Medical Sciences. 2019; 6(2):278-285. https://doi.org/10.22543/7674.62.P278285

Chicago/Turabian Style

Frunza, Tudor-Cristian, Sorinel Lunca, Iustina Baciu, Iulia Axinia, Cezar Valentin Mocanu, Andreea Crudu, Narcis Bujor, Lucia Flavia Livenschi, Claudiu Alexandru Nicolaiev, Andreea Hulubencu, and et al. 2019. "LARS-like Symptoms in the General Population May Suggest the Significance of Postoperative Functional Problems and Emotional Implications of Rectal Surgery" Journal of Mind and Medical Sciences 6, no. 2: 278-285. https://doi.org/10.22543/7674.62.P278285

APA Style

Frunza, T.-C., Lunca, S., Baciu, I., Axinia, I., Mocanu, C. V., Crudu, A., Bujor, N., Livenschi, L. F., Nicolaiev, C. A., Hulubencu, A., Diaconu, A., Valasciu, E., Jalobceastai, I., Tibirna, M., & Dimofte, M. G. (2019). LARS-like Symptoms in the General Population May Suggest the Significance of Postoperative Functional Problems and Emotional Implications of Rectal Surgery. Journal of Mind and Medical Sciences, 6(2), 278-285. https://doi.org/10.22543/7674.62.P278285

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