ABC Medical Center > Diseases > Anal fissure

What is anal fissure?

4 May 2021

It is a condition that consists of a tear in the tissue mucosa that lines the anus, mainly caused by constipation and hard voluminous bowel movements, producing varying pain and bleeding, depending on the severity of the tear.

Anal fissures can occur in individuals of all ages, although they are more common in infants.

Classification:

  • Acute: thin cut that disappears in a few days.
  • Chronic: This is a deep tear with fleshy growths. It usually lasts more than two months.

There are several causes for its appearance, such as:

  • Chronic diarrhea.
  • Intense effort during bowel movements.
  • Constipation.
  • Bulky and hard stools.
  • Labor.
  • Anal sex.

On rare occasions:

  • Anal cancer.
  • Crohn’s disease.
  • Herpes.
  • Syphilis.
  • AIDS.

Signs and symptoms Anal fissure

The characteristic symptoms consist of:

  • Intense pain when defecating.
  • Sore anus after stool.
  • Spasms in the anal sphincter.
  • Itching, burning, and irritation of the skin around the anus.
  • Lump near the anal fissure.
  • Cracking of the skin around the anus.
  • Evidence of bleeding in the stool or on toilet paper.

If an anal fissure does not heal in about two months, it can cause major discomfort that requires immediate treatment to avoid complications.

Diagnosis and treatment Anal fissure

Once the doctor analyzes your symptoms and clinical history, you will have a physical examination including an examination of the anal area. If deemed necessary, they will request additional tests to corroborate the cause of your anal fissure, among them:

  • Anoscopy.
  • Biopsy.
  • Colonoscopy.
  • Sigmoidoscopy.

The treatment plan will be established based on the severity of the symptoms, but in all cases, it will seek to eliminate the factors that cause it.

Most anal fissures improve with a high-fiber diet, increased fluid intake, warm sitz baths, and medications such as nitroglycerin, numbing creams, botox injections, and blood pressure medications.

If the anal fissure is chronic, you may require surgery to remove a minimal muscular part of the anal sphincter, which will reduce the painful spasmodic processes, contributing to fissure repair.

It is important to consider that when you experience an anal fissure it is likely that you will have it again in the future.

Preventive Measures:

  • Eat foods rich in fiber (fruits, vegetables, and grains).
  • Drink plenty of fluids.
  • Exercise regularly.
  • Stop using tobacco, alcohol, and drugs.

At ABC Medical Center’s Internal Medicine Department, we offer health care services with the highest quality and safety, from the prevention, diagnosis, timely treatment, and monitoring of infectious, respiratory, endocrinological, dermatological, rheumatic, nephrological, gastrointestinal, and hematological pathologies of both chronic-degenerative diseases and acute conditions, through a comprehensive and multidisciplinary model.

Related centers and departments Anal fissure

Internal medicine
High Specialty Surgery Center
Radiology and Molecular Imaging
Clinical Laboratory

Fuentes:

  • medlineplus.gov
  • mayoclinic.org
  • msdmanuals.com
  • cun.es
  • topdoctors.es
  • medigraphic.com
  • Cervantes-Peláez D, Rojas-Peláez Y, Rodríguez-Gutiérrez D, et al. La esfinterotomía lateral interna subcutánea cerrada en pacientes con fisura anal crónica. AMC. 2020;24(1):77-88.
  • Blanco AE, Gámez PA, Ferrer RH, et al. Efectividad del lisado plaquetario en la cicatrización de las fisuras anales. Revista Cubana de Cirugía. 2018;57(1):49-57.
  • Salas SE. Fisuras anales. Rev Med Cos Cen. 2015;72(615):261-264.
  • Rodríguez-Wong U. Esfinterotomía lateral interna en el tratamiento quirúrgico de la fisura anal crónica. Rev Hosp Jua Mex. 2008;75(3):203-205.

How can we help you?

    The dissemination of the content of this material is for informational purposes only and does not replace, under any circumstance or condition, a consultation with a specialist doctor, for which the ABC Medical Center is not responsible for the different use that may be given to it. If you require more information related to the subject, we suggest you contact the specialist doctor you trust directly.