Anal fissure - causes and signs of anal fissure

According to the course, the anal fissure is divided into acute and chronic types.

According to the depth of the location, it can be deep and superficial.

By the localization of the fissure: in the anus, directly in the rectum, mixed.

Causes

There are a number of reasons for the occurrence of this disease. It includes:

• damage to the anus wall associated with the obstruction of feces. Constipation can be explained by poor nutrition with insufficient fiber intake, due to which the intestines cannot work as they should;
• birth injury;
• weakness of the pelvic floor muscles;
• long-term and inflammatory processes occurring in the gastrointestinal tract;
• excessive physical labor;
• the presence of hemorrhoids;
• foreign objects in the rectum.

The disease will not keep itself waiting if a person eats few vegetables, fruits, prefers fried potatoes and pasta instead of salad or buckwheat porridge.

Symptoms

Most often, the defect occurs in women aged 18 to 60 years, in men it occurs less often and more often in old age.

The main primary symptom is severe pain in the anus during a trip to the toilet, after or during childbirth, anal sex. Pain may subsequently occur with each act of defecation and the patient begins to have a "fear of the bowels", he consciously delays emptying, which provokes the onset of constipation and further aggravation of the situation. It turns out to be a closed, vicious circle of the disease. The pain can be so intense that it easily brings a person to screaming and tears.

With extensive damage to the mucous membrane, discomfort can appear even during urination. The main symptoms include sphincter spasm, which occurs due to irritation of the nerve endings. Often there is bleeding from the anus, constant constipation, discomfort during or after visiting the toilet.

The main complication is acute paraproctitis (inflammation of the perirectal fatty tissue). When the mucosa is injured, there is a risk of spreading pathogenic microbes into the blood, which can lead to more serious consequences for the body, such as blood poisoning (sepsis). If the disease is not treated in time, then the development of rectal cancer cannot be ruled out.

Diagnostics

Diagnostics consists of interpreting complaints, questioning and examining the patient by a proctologist. When inserting a finger into the anus, sphincter compression, a linear defect in the mucous membrane, and the degree of pain syndrome are determined. To clarify the diagnosis and differentiate it, the doctor prescribes additional research methods: anoscopy, rectoscopy, which are performed by an endoscopist. If there are complications, it is necessary to undergo CT (computer tomography) of the pelvic organs, MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) of the pelvic organs.

For more detailed information on the diagnosis and treatment of this pathology, you need to make an appointment with a proctologist or coloproctologist. If there is a suspicion of the presence of a tumor, the proctologist will refer you to an oncologist. Consultation with a proctologist will allow you to correctly establish a diagnosis, prescribe therapy, restore lost function and eliminate pain.

Treatment

Fissure therapy is carried out by a proctologist who determines a drug or surgical method of treatment, a combination of both is not excluded.

Modern coloproctology does not guarantee complete healing. Conservative therapy involves treatment by adjusting the diet. Warm baths, suppositories with belladonna, ichthyol, novocaine, sea buckthorn oil, microclysters with chamomile are effective. This type is aimed at avoiding the occurrence of severe consequences and reducing acute pain.

Novocaine blockades of lesions and stretches of the anal sphincter are also used. In the case of chronic course, surgical intervention is indicated, consisting of excision of the problem area.

Prevention

Preventive measures include a number of actions. The patient should:

• treat proctological diseases promptly;
• avoid unnatural sexual intercourse through the anus;
• do not delay the natural reflex act of defecation;
• train the anal muscles by regularly contracting and relaxing the perineal muscles in your free time (in transport, at work, at home);
• eat foods with a high fiber content and foods that lead to loose stools;
• avoid lifting heavy objects.