An Anal fissure is a tear in the skin around the anal opening. It is most frequently caused by constipation but other causes include when you pass a large stool, when you are constipated and try to pass a hard stool, diarrhea and childbirth. It causes discomfort only during and after a bowel movement, which can be accompanied with bleeding, and itching. It can be healed however with home treatment and the process lasts a few weeks. This is considered an acute (short-term) case. If, however an anal fissure does not heal up after eight to twelve weeks, then we call this chronic or long- term (anal fissure). This anal fissure needs medical treatment instead of home remedies.
Before self-diagnosing and treatment however, you need to make sure not to confuse a fissure with other anal conditions such as anal abscesses, polyps, and pruritus ani.
An anal abscess is formed when a cavity in the anal is filled with pus causing pain, redness and swelling near the anus, as well as fatigue, fever, and chills to the person. This tender, boil- like swelling commonly results from bacterial infection of anal glands. To differentiate it from a fissure, an abscess is a swell that is pus-filled and can be found on the surface or near the anal canal while a fissure is a cut which may or may not be filled with pus and found mostly on the skin surface. An abscess also causes nonstop pain to the person who has it until the pus is discharged while a fissure is only painful when there is intestinal tract movement. It is identified by a doctor through examination if it is on the surface and through anoscope if not.
Polyps on the other hand are abnormal cell growths that appear as tiny bumps on the linings of the colon or rectum, or sometimes at the inner edge of an old fissure. Most are benign but can become malignant if not treated since it is a tumor. Both a polyp and a fissure can cause the appearance of blood on a stool just that a polyp is an internal growth while a fissure is an external tear. Your doctor can determine if a growth is a polyp through virtual colonoscopy, a biopsy or a barium enema or colon X-ray while routine physical checkups are enough to diagnose a fissure.
Pruritus ani is the condition of having an itching sensation near the anus that causes the desire to scratch. It can be determined if symptoms include the irresistible urge to scratch, and if there is bleeding, discomfort, and an infection in the anal area. Most people feel this after bowel movement but other causes include intestinal parasites, perspiration and diarrhea. It can be differentiated from an anal fissure since a fissure is a tear and a pruritus ani is an itching sensation. But there are cases when people do itch it and this causes cracks and lesions.
Knowing the difference between different conditions concerning the anal makes it easier to identify and treat them both from a doctor’s and a patient’s perspective.
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