Is the tobacco in cigarette smoking responsible for anal fissures?

An anal fissure is one of the more overlooked diseases out there but its effects can have long-lasting implications. As with all diseases, there is a lot that you can do to address the problem before it gets worse. However, you will need to know all that you can about the disease to treat it properly.

What is it exactly? What can I do about it? Is the Tobacco in cigarette smoking responsible for anal fissures? These are but a few of several questions that can be answered the more that you learn about the disease.

What are Anal Fissures?

An anal fissure is simple described as a tear along the lining around the anus. It is a minor condition that usually goes away after weeks but there are fissures that can last longer depending on what caused them in the first place. Chronic fissures, for example, can last for years as they are caused and kept alive by reactions like infection in the anal area due to the passage of waste.

Whatever caused it, it is certain that anal fissures yield the same reactions. This includes bleeding, slight to severe itching, a general burning sensation in the area, and redness in the lining around the anus. An odorous discharge can also be noticed if the fissure is deep enough and has developed an infection.

What Causes It?

The primary cause for anal fissures is stress around the area. If too much strain is put on the lining around the anus, it will snap and tear open like the membrane of a drum. This is usually caused when large and hard stool passes through the area.

Other conditions can also cause the anal lining to tear up. This includes Crohn’s Disease and other inflammatory bowel conditions as well as the decrease of blood flow in the anal and rectal areas which weakens them. People with unusually tight or spastic sphincter muscles also have higher chances of developing a fissure.

Lastly, the chances of fissures developing in the anorectal area is high amongst women especially during childbirth. This is because the trauma caused by the child passing through the area is greater than what any large or hard stool can inflict.

Fissures and Smoking

Is the Tobacco in Cigarette Smoking Responsible for Anal Fissures? The answer is both a yes and no. Tobacco per se cannot cause fissures to occur as its effects are largely respiratory in nature. However, it is an indirect cause of the condition as it is known to cause some pulmonary conditions.

For instance, smoking increases the chances of the person developing chronic asthma and tuberculosis. These conditions are directly linked to the development of anal fissures.

Aside from indirectly causing anal fissures, tobacco can also aggravate existing ones. The compounds in tobacco are known to impede on the body’s ability to heal itself which, in turn, prolongs the lifespan of any fissure. As such, it is often recommended that one immediately quits from smoking if they are recovering from fissures and prevent future ones from taking form.