Anal Fistula and Anal Fissures
“It’s painful around the anus and there is blood in my stool. What happened to me?” Since the presence of blood in stool and anal pain are signs of anal fistula and aneurysm, it is suggested that the elderly should receive a colonoscopy examination to rule out the possibilities of colon cancer and other intestinal diseases.
Causes of anal fistula
Anal fistula is a disease of the anus, commonly caused by inflammation that leads to a formation of a tunnel which links the rectum to the outer anus.
Treatment of anal fistula
For patients with anal fistula, the best treatment is to have surgical resection of the fistula. After surgery patients can be discharged on the same day. Though anal fistula may recur, it is rare in Asians.
Anal fissure
Anal fissure is caused by the over-stretching of the anal sphincters, making it hard to defecate, and by over-straining during defecation, which eventually becomes anal fissure.
How to differentiate anal fissure and hemorrhoids?
Many patients would mistakenly consider that having blood in stool must be a sign of hemorrhoids. Doctors have to understand the fecal bleeding condition, which is outside of a routine clinical examination.
Although both anal fissures and hemorrhoids lead to blood in stool, the former one causes extreme pain to patients. Most patients with hemorrhoids do not feel any pain during defecation. Therefore, based on the pain sensation and clinical examination, doctors are able to differentiate between anal fissures and hemorrhoids.
Treatment of anal fissure
Early stages of anal fissures can be treated by medications to soften the stool and making it easier for defecation. Pain medications can also be prescribed to eliminate pain. For later stages of anal fissure, surgeries may be required to loosen the anal sphincter and enlarge the anus.
The information on this website is for general educational purpose only.
Readers should consult their physician before considering treatment, and should not interpret their condition solely based on the information above.