Simply put, anal fissures are painful conditions caused by a cut or a tear on the lining of the anal canal to the rectum. Mostly pain in anal fissures is accompanied by malodorous discharge due to a pus formation, itching of the anus and bleeding from the tear. The abundance of nerves in the anal canal, or the anoderm, explains the extreme pain.
Anal fissure is commonly caused by trauma to the rectum which is brought by the passing of hard stools or from excessive defecation in diarrhea. Uncommon traumatic causes of anal fissures include insertion of a rectal thermometer, an enema tip, an endoscope, or an ultrasound probe. Also, vaginal childbirth can cause an anal fissure due to the trauma to the perinuem that extends to the recturm and further inward to the anus. Non-traumatic causes of anal fissures are also considered. These types of non-traumatic anal fissures are called atypical fissures. They are anal fissures accompanied by a pathologic disease such as Chron’s disease or Anal Cancer. Usually these non-traumatic anal fissures are located not on the common site of occurrence which is in the midline posterior or anterior anal canal.
To confirm the presence of anal fissures, the physician usually suggests a rectal exam. If the condition is brought by another disorder, for example an anal cancer, doctors usually perform sigmoidoscopy or colonoscopy.
Most patients with anal fissures start experiencing the extreme pain during or after defecation as brought by the tear on the anal lining. Some patients notice stool discoloration as they report of seeing blood in their stool. Rectal bleeding is common when tears occur in the anal tissues. Usual feces color is brownish-yellow; However, changes in the color of the stool become significant when it is persistent and when other symptoms are present.
Some patients complain of thin stools. Although thin stools are not commonly seen in patients with anal fissures, it may still appear on patients with an accompanying pathological disease. The only reason why patients with anal fissures notice thin stools is because it is caused by the tear to the muscles surrounding the anus making it very inflamed. The inflammation will limit the canal opening causing the passing of thinner stools.
But, what are other causes of thin stools? Over time, intestinal walls thicken and cause the intestinal space to narrow producing thinner than usual stools upon passing out the rectum. Some diseases cause thinner stools. These diseases are as follows:
- Diverticulitis causes narrowed space because of the inflamed pockets that are formed in the intestines.
- An enlarged prostate may push the rectal wall causing the thin stools
- Colon cancer or tumor and any intestinal obstruction can cause narrow spaces
Individuals do not usually pay much attention to their stools. Although it may not seem significant at one point, it is advisable that from time to time, we should take a look back on our stools for evaluation of changes that may be a tell-tale sign of an existing medical condition.
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