Itching and burning in the anus: causes, diagnosis and treatment of anal itching in men and women

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Initial appointment with a proctologist (assessment of patient complaints, medical history, external examination of the anus, digital examination of the rectum, anoscopy if indicated)

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Severe itching and burning in the anus are characteristic of the following diseases and conditions:

internal and external hemorrhoids, proctitis, paraproctitis;
genital warts in the perianal region and rectal mucosa;
acute and chronic anal fissure;
fistula tracts in the anus;
failure of the anal sphincter and involuntary contact of rectal contents with the skin of the perianal area;
perianal dermatitis;
inflammatory bowel diseases (ulcerative colitis, Crohn's disease, etc.);
dermatological diseases (psoriasis, eczema);

Anal fissure: symptoms, causes and treatment from experienced doctors at the MEDSI clinic

Causes
Symptoms
Anal fissure in children
Chronic fissure
Consequences (complications) of anal fissures
Diagnostics
How to treat anal fissure?
Prevention
Advantages of treatment at MEDSI

An anal fissure (anal fissure) is a tear in the lining of the rectum. As a rule, pathology develops in people who suffer from chronic constipation or lead a sedentary lifestyle. Fissures are diagnosed in approximately 20% of patients who consult a doctor with the problem of discomfort in the rectal area. The pathology can be either independent - arising from exposure to traumatic factors, or secondary - a consequence of a number of concomitant diseases (external hemorrhoids, peptic ulcers, disorders of the gastrointestinal tract).

Causes

An anal fissure is caused primarily by trauma to the rectum or constipation and hemorrhoids.

Damage may result from:

Gastritis, peptic ulcer, colitis
Congestion in the rectum and pelvis caused by disruption of the cardiovascular system
Pregnancy during which the uterus puts excessive pressure on internal organs
Childbirth associated with prolonged pushing

Don't think that an anal fissure will heal on its own. If the patient does not change the nutritional system and eliminate traumatic factors, nothing will change. In addition, acute pathology often becomes chronic. In this case, the patient suffers from severe discomfort and often experiences not only physical, but also psychological problems. If you contact a specialist immediately after detecting signs of pathology, treatment will be carried out quickly using conservative methods. In advanced cases, treatment of chronic anal fissure is often only possible through surgery.

Symptoms

The main symptoms of anal fissure that require consultation with a doctor and treatment are:

Discomfort after defecation
Pain
Minor bleeding

Over time, these symptoms are often accompanied by:

Sphincter spasm
Unpleasant sensations when sitting
Constipation

The patient becomes irritable, sleeps poorly, and fears bowel movements.

Anal fissure in children

Children suffer from anal fissures less often than adults, but in some cases the pathology occurs even in newborns. To prevent the disease from becoming chronic and causing complications, treatment should be started as early as possible. Any self-medication is strictly prohibited, since it only relieves symptoms, but does not eliminate the problem, starting the course of the pathology.

Young children cannot report signs of pathology to adults, so you should monitor:

Baby's behavior when excreting feces
Stool density
Child's behavior before going to the toilet. Children often become irritable and nervous and do not want to sit on the potty.

If a child cries before and during bowel movements, is afraid of going to the toilet, or suffers from constipation, you should definitely consult a doctor.

Chronic fissure

The acute form of anal fissure often becomes chronic. Especially often, pathology develops rapidly in the absence of adequate therapy. It develops into a chronic form mainly in women who have recently given birth. This is due to physiological changes in the body of a young mother. With pathology, the patient suffers not only during bowel movements, but also after it, with prolonged sitting and walking. Constant discomfort, itching and bleeding are added to the standard symptoms. The process is often aggravated by self-medication, taking laxatives, using suppositories and enemas.

Consequences (complications) of anal fissures

If an anal fissure is not treated, the following complications arise:

Constant bleeding
Infectious processes in the intestinal mucosa
Prostatitis
Rectal fistulas
Colitis
Acute paraproctitis

All of them are dangerous not only for health, but also for the life of the patient, and also lead to the development of a number of psychological problems.

Diagnostics

To make a diagnosis, a comprehensive examination of the patient is performed.

It includes:

Examination of the anus
. An anal fissure is diagnosed fairly quickly, as the mucous membranes lose their integrity and become swollen
Finger examination
. With such a study, the proctologist can determine the size of the crack and feel its edges
Sigmoidoscopy
. Allows you to examine the rectum to a depth of 20 centimeters

Laboratory diagnostics, colonoscopy and irrigoscopy may also be prescribed.

How to treat anal fissure?

Conservative therapy

Treatment of anal fissure is always carried out comprehensively. It is important to eliminate not only the symptoms of the pathology, but also its cause. The underlying disease must be eliminated. Treatment will be useless if the patient suffers from constipation and hard stool constantly damages the anus.

Typically therapy includes:

Treatment of the anus with emollient compounds
Relaxation of anal muscles in warm baths
Preventing constipation
Using ointments and suppositories for pain relief, wound healing and inflammation relief

Treatment is determined by the form of the pathology, the factors that provoked its development, and the individual characteristics of the patient. It can only be prescribed by a doctor after a comprehensive diagnosis.

Surgery

Surgical interventions are resorted to when conservative therapy does not give the desired result.

All methods used are divided into 2 types:

Minimally invasive
. Usually the crack is removed using a laser. Its edges are simply sealed. Recovery after such an intervention does not take much time. Within a few days the patient returns to his normal lifestyle and does not experience discomfort.
Standard
. The sphincterotomy technique is used. During this intervention, the doctor makes an incision and separates the layers of sphincter muscle. Thanks to this, the existing spasm is eliminated, which allows you to reduce tension during bowel movements. Also, suturing of the walls and excision of the mucous membranes on which scars have appeared are carried out.

The choice of surgical intervention technique is made by the doctor.

Prevention

There is a set of preventive measures to prevent the formation of an anal fissure.

This includes:

Healthy lifestyle. You should completely stop smoking and drinking alcoholic beverages, eating fatty, fried and salty foods, which stimulate problems in the cardiovascular system and digestive tract. It is important to consume foods rich in fiber, vitamins and valuable microelements in sufficient quantities.
Compliance with personal hygiene rules. You should wash regularly and prevent the development of inflammatory and infectious processes.
An active lifestyle, including regular, but not excessive or tiring physical activity. It is enough to walk at least 20-30 minutes a day
Proper drinking regime. You need to drink at least 1.5-2 liters of fluid every day
Avoiding eating foods that are too hot or cold

It is important not to restrain the urge to defecate and promptly treat any diseases of the gastrointestinal tract.

Advantages of treatment at MEDSI

Use of current treatment methods. Our clinics use drug blockades, excision of anal fissures and other procedures and interventions.
Experienced doctors. MEDSI proctologists constantly improve their qualifications and master modern methods of conservative therapy and surgical interventions
Comfortable conditions. All examinations and treatment are carried out by experienced specialists whom our patients trust. There is no fear or embarrassment during the procedures
No queues. You can consult a doctor at a convenient time
Compliance with confidentiality rules

If you want to make an appointment with a proctologist at MEDSI, call +7 (495) 7-800-500.

Primary and secondary anal itching

Anal itching can be primary or secondary. Secondary anal itching is a symptom of diseases such as anal fissure, hemorrhoids, helminthic infestations, anal sphincter insufficiency, proctosigmoiditis, intestinal disorders (constipation, diarrhea), genital inflammation, skin fungus in the sacrococcygeal region, exposure to allergens. Anal itching may indicate hidden diabetes. The causes of primary anal itching, which experts also call true, are not fully known.

Causes of itching

The cause of anal itching can be worms.

For many people, it becomes unclear why at one moment they begin to feel itching. In fact, there are a lot of reasons for this phenomenon, and they are all quite diverse and often unrelated to each other. The main causes of anal itching include:

Diseases of the rectum and anus, during which itching of the anus is one of the most obvious and very first symptoms that appears. In more detail, these diseases include hemorrhoids, rectal prolapse
Worms. When worms appear in the body, a person not only begins to lose weight while eating normally, but he also begins to be bothered by anal itching, which appears due to the destructive effects of worms. They damage the mucous membrane, thereby causing discomfort.
Diseases of the genital organs. Often, infections that cause diseases of the genital organs easily penetrate the rectum only because these organs are located close to each other. And therefore, when itching appears, especially women, they are forced to check first with a gynecologist to rule out problems with the reproductive system, and only then are referred to a proctologist
Constipation. During constipation, toxins accumulate in the intestines, and because of this, tissues can react to them this way. In addition, during constipation, the intestinal walls stretch, and so does the skin, and due to distension, small microcracks can form
Fungus. No person is immune from contracting a fungus on their skin. Most often this happens when constantly using public toilets, where, although they are cleaned, they are not completely disinfected.
Neoplasms, both malignant and benign. Due to the fact that the tumor puts pressure not only on the skin, but also on the nerve endings, the reaction may be different. In addition, if the size of the tumor is large, then most likely it will stretch the ligaments, mucous membrane, and with them the skin, which will cause itching
Allergic reaction. Very often, when using new soap or other personal hygiene products, a person may experience an allergic reaction to new components (chemical)
Sweating, especially in obese people
Uncomfortable underwear, especially for girls
Poor or, conversely, excessive hygiene. The moment a person applies a lot of soap or any other personal hygiene product, the skin becomes very dry, so frequent washing is comparable to not using hygiene products at all. Only the reasons will vary slightly. If in the case of excessive hygiene there will be dry skin, then in the case of a lack of it - the penetration of bacteria that have a destructive effect

In addition, diabetes mellitus can be the cause of itching in the anus. True, not all doctors are able to diagnose it in the presence of this particular symptom, because first of all they think about completely different ones, and look for problems directly in the intestines. And after the intestines and genitals have been rechecked and the cause is not in them, the doctor may ask the person to donate blood for sugar to confirm his hypothesis.

Acute and chronic anal itching

There are acute and chronic primary anal itching, and the form of the disease is also its stage. Anal itching in acute form begins suddenly, has a constant course and strength, the skin in the areas of itching becomes moisturized, traces of scratching and an increase in perianal folds are observed. Chronic itching, on the contrary, is characterized by a slow onset, the skin of the perianal area is dry, thin, has altered pigmentation, scratch marks are absent or look like thin linear abrasions, skin folds are poorly defined.

Symptoms of itching in the anus

Incessant itching in the anus at night - what could be worse? A person may experience insomnia, nervousness, and depression. The skin around the anus becomes rough, covered with abrasions, and begins to bleed. If deep abrasions become infected, inflammation may begin.

Acute anal itching usually begins unexpectedly and abruptly. Maceration (wetting of the skin), irritation, and scratching appear in the anal area.

Chronic anal itching may begin unnoticed but becomes worse over time. The skin around the anus becomes dry and inflamed. There may be no characteristic pigmentation. Usually, with chronic anal itching, scratching does not occur.

Prolonged anal itching can lead to bacterial infection of the skin, the appearance of eczema, and the wounds begin to hurt and bleed. Therefore, it is better to come for a consultation with a MedicCity proctologist at the first symptoms and under no circumstances self-medicate! After all, such itching is usually a kind of “bell”, a sign of the presence of serious diseases in the body.

1 Preparation for anoscopy

2 AMI HAL-Doppler II - device for the treatment of hemorrhoids

3 Preparation for anoscopy

Itching and burning in the anus in women

Anal itching and burning in women, in addition to causes characteristic of both sexes, can be caused by gynecological diseases: candidiasis, vaginitis, hormonal disorders while taking combined oral contraceptives, menopausal changes, atrophy of the vaginal mucosa, inflammation of the glands of the vestibule of the vagina, etc.

The presence of the above symptoms in women is often a consequence of pregnancy and childbirth due to the occurrence of postpartum hemorrhoids and anal fissures; is further complicated by the fact that intestinal motility in the “weaker” sex is less pronounced than in men, as a result of which women more often suffer from constipation and irregular bowel movements.

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Manifestations by age and gender

Anal itching in men is most often a sign of hemorrhoids, gastrointestinal diseases, prostatitis, urethritis, sexually transmitted diseases, poor hygiene and nutrition.

Anal itching in women, in addition to common causes for both sexes, can be caused by thrush, peculiarities of menopause, and inflammation of the pelvic organs.

The most common cause of anal itching in a child is poor hygiene and helminthiasis. In the first case, it is enough to be attentive to the care of the child or teach him to take care of himself; in the second case, treatment will take a longer time. The cause of helminthiasis in children can be pets, insufficiently processed food, and constant exposure to unsanitary conditions.

In children, this phenomenon can also be a symptom of diabetes, allergic reactions, stress and phobias, a consequence of excess weight, taking certain antibiotics with subsequent fungal infection.

With age, the risk of diseases that are accompanied by itching in the anal area increases, so this symptom is more common in adult patients in medical institutions. The primary form, the cause of which cannot be diagnosed, is also more often observed in older people due to irreversible processes occurring in the body, including thinning of the skin and its increased tendency to irritation.

In any case, self-medication with various ointments and baths is contraindicated. Local therapy will not help if the cause of itching is a systemic, infectious, inflammatory or other disease.

The sooner you seek professional medical help, putting aside false shame, the greater the likelihood that the treatment will proceed quickly and successfully, without complications, including purulent skin lesions due to constant scratching and infection, the possibility of anal fissures, and inflammatory processes in the tissues of the anus, fistulas. Severe psychological conditions caused by this symptom are common. Specialists from NEARMEDIC multidisciplinary medical centers will help you get rid of these problems and improve the quality of your life.

Diagnostics

The choice of diagnostic research methods depends on the nature of the disease and the presence of additional symptoms in the patient. Timely consultation with a coloproctologist to determine the cause of itching and burning and make a diagnosis - preventing possible complications. To diagnose itching and burning in the anus, various instrumental and laboratory research methods are used.

Collecting complaints from the patient and compiling a medical history to clarify information about the nature of itching and burning, duration, intensity, relationship with eating disorders and other factors.
External examination of the perianal area: assessment of signs of inflammation, the presence of scratches, abrasions, cracks, and any formations.
Scraping material from the perineum for analysis of helminthiasis and helminthic infestation.
Internal digital rectal examination.
Anoscopy.
If any symptoms from the gastrointestinal tract are detected: bacteriological analysis of stool, sigmoidoscopy, irrigoscopy, fibrocolonoscopy; for complaints of abnormal stool, abdominal pain - fibrogastroduodenoscopy and ultrasound of the abdominal cavity.
In case of functional insufficiency of the anal sphincter, sphincteromanometry is performed.

When consulting a woman with complaints of itching and burning in the anus, a consultation with a gynecologist may be recommended to rule out diseases of the genitourinary system.

When a man comes to you with symptoms in the form of anal itching and burning, it is possible to consult a urologist and conduct a differential diagnosis.

Itching in a child

Anal itching is a shameful situation for many people.

From time to time, parents turn to the pediatrician with a complaint that the child is constantly scratching his butt. Sometimes the reason lies in a simple habit or some other person's example, but most often it happens due to:

Worms. Children constantly put foreign objects into their mouths, especially one-year-old babies who pull everything from the floor (sandbox, etc.) into their mouths. And it is precisely in this way that worms can enter the body
Haemorrhoids. This disease is very rare in children, because parents try to provide the child with all the healthy foods, and besides, children do not lead a sedentary lifestyle
Anal fissure, which can form as a result of some kind of injury or problem in the body. The most common cause is injury, as children often fall
Poor hygiene. Most often, children can scratch their butts if they do not follow basic rules of personal hygiene or do not wipe well after going to the toilet. This problem becomes especially acute when the child begins to go to kindergarten, where they are taught to be independent.

If your child experiences itching, you should definitely contact a pediatrician or an infectious disease specialist.

Treatment and prevention

The main direction of treatment for itching and burning in the anus is to find the cause and eliminate it.

For infectious pathology: antibacterial, antiviral, or antifungal therapy.
If helminthic infestation is detected, use antiparasitic drugs.
For local treatment, painkillers, antipruritics, antiseptics, anti-inflammatory and antihistamines are used.
In the presence of somatic pathology, treatment by a specialized specialist (gynecologist, urologist, gastroenterologist, endocrinologist).
If the patient complains of sleep disturbances and psycho-emotional state, sedatives and hypnotics may be prescribed.
In case of chronic constipation or diarrhea - treatment and regulation of stool.
It is necessary to strictly adhere to the rules of intimate hygiene and wear underwear made from natural, breathable materials.
Maintaining the principles of a healthy diet with the exception of spicy, sour, fatty foods, alcohol, carbonated drinks, seasonings.
Elimination of prolonged mechanical friction and compression of the anus.

There are contraindications, consultation with a specialist is required!

Prevention of itching in the anus

In case of a true disease, treatment is conservative, long-term and often requires the participation of not only a coloproctologist, but also a gastroenterologist, psychotherapist and other specialists. Injection methods for treating anal itching, for example, tattooing and others, are also used in world practice.

In our clinic, anal itching is treated with medication. On the recommendation of a coloproctologist, you may be prescribed tablets, suppositories, medical procedures, and therapeutic microenemas.

Treatment

Treatment of itching comes down to eliminating the causes of its occurrence. The treatment plan is selected depending on the factors that caused the problem. Therefore, when identifying:

Diseases of the rectum - the doctor selects a course of therapy to treat a specific pathology;
Antihelminthic drugs are prescribed for parasites;
Infections - in most cases, antibacterial therapy is used;
Allergies - antihistamines are selected;
Skin diseases - ointments with a drying effect are used.

The doctor also prescribes special medications, the action of which is aimed at reducing the itching itself. At the same time, it is important to observe the rules of personal hygiene and exclude from the diet foods that can cause itching.