Anal fissures

Anal Fissures
What are anal fissures?
Anal fissures are a split along the lower part of the anal canal, which is the small area of bowel connecting the rectum with the anus (see figure 1).

Anal Fissures: Nitroglycerin Ointment
Topic Overview
Application of a 0.2% nitroglycerin ointment may help heal a long-term (chronic) tear, or fissure, in the anus. You rub a pea-sized dot of cream on the fissure twice a day.

Anal Fissures
What is an anal fissure?
An anal fissure is a tear in the lining of the anus or anal canal (the opening through which stool passes out of the body). The fissure can be painful and may bleed.

more about Anal Fissures
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Anal Fissures - an anal fissure is a tiny tear of tissue in the anus that commonly leads to rectal bleeding problems. Anything that causes trauma to the lining, such as diarrhea or large, hard bowel movements, may cause an anal fissure.

Anal fissures and other conditions
In a minority of cases, a fissure occurs as part of another condition. For example, as a complication of Crohn's disease or an anal herpes infection.

Can anal fissures be prevented?
Since anal fissures often result from the passage of hard bowel movements, keeping the stools soft and bulky (with fiber supplements) may help prevent them from occurring in the first place.

Anal fissures are usually related to abnormal bowel movements. Constipation or frequent stools can cause straining and worsen the problem. Injury to the anal area can also damage the anal mucosa.

Anal fissures are extremely common in young infants but may occur at any age. Studies suggest 80% of infants will have had an anal fissure by the end of the first year. The rate of anal fissures decreases rapidly with age.

Anal fissures are tiny tears, usually less than 1/2 inch long, in the skin of the anus. The anus is the opening through which bowel movements pass.

Anal fissures may cause pain and bleeding. More than 90 percent heal on their own, and you can use topical creams or suppositories to provide relief as they heal. Anal fissures that fail to heal may become chronic and cause considerable discomfort.

Anal fissures may occur when muscles of the anal sphincter begin to spasm as a stool passes, resulting in trauma to the anal canal. No work-related activity or specific occupation is associated with fissure development.

Anal fissures occur in the specialized tissue that lines the anus and anal canal, called anoderm. At a line just inside the anus--referred to as the anal verge or intersphincteric groove--the skin (dermis) of the inner buttocks changes to anoderm.

Anal fissures (tears or cracks in anal tissue)
Atrophic gastritis (inflammation and thinning of the stomach lining)
Bacterial, parasitic or viral infection of the gastrointestinal tract
Cancer of the digestive tract ...

Anal fissures affect people of all ages, particularly young and otherwise healthy people. They are equally common in men and women.
Sometimes an anal fissure and a hemorrhoid Opens New Window develop at the same time.
What causes an anal fissure?

Anal fissures most often affect people in middle age, but fissures also are the most common cause of rectal bleeding in infants. Most anal fissures heal within a few weeks with treatment for constipation, but some fissures may become chronic.

Anal fissures
Bowel ischemia
Colon polyps or colon cancer
Diverticulosis
Hemorrhoids
Inflammatory bowel disease (such as Crohn's disease or ulcerative colitis)
Intestinal infection (such as bacterial enterocolitis)
Small bowel tumor ...

Anal fissures can usually be diagnosed based on the symptoms described above and a physical examination. The physical examination involves gently separating the buttocks, allowing for visual inspection of the region around the anus.

Anal fissures can be classified as:
primary - where there is no obvious cause why the anal canal was damaged
secondary - where there is an obvious cause ...

Anal fissures: These home treatments will promote healing of anal fissures.
Sit in a tub of hot water for 20 minutes, 3 times a day, to reduce pain and help healing.
Eat a high-fiber diet and use stool softeners to make bowel movements less painful.

Serious anal fissures can be detected just by looking at the anus. If cuts are not visible, the doctor will have to use some anesthetic and start an internal exam.

To prevent anal fissures in infants, be sure to change diapers frequently.
To prevent fissures at any age: ...

hemorrhoid or anal fissures
frequent use of opiate containing narcotics
Overview and causes of CONSTIPATION - click here ...

hemorrhoids, anal fissures, anal fissures, rectal prolapse, rectal prolapse, fecal impaction, fecal impaction, fecal impaction
Chronic digestive conditions ... intestinal complications
Chronic Granulomatous Disease ... gastrointestinal blockage ...

In men and most women, anal fissures occur very close to the posterior midline of the anal canal.

Red - blood smears on the toilet paper are usually caused by haemorrhoids or anal fissures. Bright red blood in the faeces (haemotochezia) usually means internal bleeding, and the causes could include bowel cancer or a bleeding stomach ulcer.

Constipation is the most common cause of anal fissures.
Pain during the passage of a hard bowel movement, and sharp pain that continues afterward are the most common symptoms of an anal fissure. Sitting can be quite painful with an anal fissure.

You may be able to prevent anal fissures by preventing episodes of constipation. To do this, soften your stool by gradually adding more fiber to your diet, and by drinking six to eight glasses of water daily. Begin a program of regular exercise.

In older children, diets low in fiber and high in dairy lead to hard stools that are uncomfortable to pass and can cause anal fissures.

Structural problems, such as anal fissures and fistulas or rectal prolapse.
Infection, such as a sexually transmitted disease, prostate infection, an abscess, or a pilonidal cyst.
Injury from foreign body insertion, anal intercourse, or abuse.

These complications include hemorrhoids, caused by straining to have a bowel movement, or anal fissures-tears in the skin around the anus-caused when hard stool stretches the sphincter muscle.

Mayo Clinic colon and rectal doctors treat hundreds of people each year who have anal fissures. They are skilled at assessing causes of fissures and recognizing coexisting conditions.
Team approach.

Spasm of the anal sphincter, due to painful anal fissures or hemorrhoids
Underactive thyroid
Irritable bowel syndrome (periods of constipation may alternate with episodes of diarrhea)
Neurological diseases such as: ...

Constipation can cause complications such as hemorrhoids, which occur by straining to have a bowel movement, or anal fissures (tears in the skin around the anus) which occur when hard stool stretches the sphincter muscle.

Specific itchy areas may occur if a person comes in contact with soaps, detergents, and wool or other rough-textured, scratchy material. Adults who have hemorrhoids, anal fissures, ...

Other wounds include puncture wounds, lacerations (cuts), pressure sores, anal fissures, extravasations (a drug accidentally going outside of a vein causing tissue damage), skin damage caused by incontinence (lack of bladder control), ...

Anal fissures: Small tears or cracks called fissures may develop in and around the anus causing painful bowel movements.
Nutritional complications: A deficiency of proteins, calories, and vitamins can cause malnutrition.

Frequent diaper changes and proper cleaning during diaper changes will help prevent both anal fissures and perianal abscesses in infants and toddlers.

The condition may occur in infants and toddlers who are still in diapers and who have a history of anal fissures.
Pictures & Images
Rectum ...

Consider the possibility of food allergies, especially milk, when you see diarrhea, alternating constipation and diarrhea, anal fissures, or other general allergy signs.

Common symptoms include recurrent abdominal pains, fever, nausea, vomiting, weight loss and diarrhoea which is occasionally bloody. Complications include gastrointestinal bleeding, fistulas and anal fissures.

For adults, using condoms during sexual intercourse, including anal intercourse, can help prevent anal abscesses. For infants and toddlers, frequent diaper changes and proper cleaning during diaper changes can help prevent anal fissures and perianal ...

See also: Anal fissure, Symptom, Bleeding, Constipation, Cancer