An anal fissure is a tear, crack, or ulcer in the moist tissue lining the anus. It is most commonly caused by constipation or passing large or hard stools, but it can also be caused by childbirth, inflammation of the anorectal area, or chronic diarrhea.
Diarrhea is the passing of frequent, loose, or watery stool. Diarrhea that goes away over a couple of weeks is often referred to as acute diarrhea while diarrhea that persists beyond four weeks is described as chronic diarrhea.
Repeated bouts with diarrhea can cause canal fissures by drying out the anal skin until it tears or cracks open. These cracks can be agonizingly painful while you are passing stools and the pain usually becomes worse afterwards. It is commonly accompanied by bright red bleeding.
Diarrhea and anal fissure! How to proceed after an anal fissure diagnosis?
Typical approaches to anal fissure caused by diarrhea involve the following course of action:
- Correction of the cause of diarrhea
- Treating diarrhea
- Management and Treatment of Anal Fissure
Stool, urine, blood, and special breath tests are often used to find the underlying cause of diarrhea. Other tests and procedures like x-rays, colonoscopy, or sigmoidoscopy may also be required.
Diarrhea may be classified as osmotic, exudative, or secretory. Osmotic diarrhea means that a substance in your bowel movement is drawing liquid resulting in watery passing of stools. Secretory diarrhea is when infections, drugs, and other medical conditions are stimulating the body to release water. Exudative diarrhea happens when inflammatory bowel diseases such as ulcerative colitis, E. coli, food poisoning, and other infections cause the presence of pus and blood in the stool.
Causes of Chronic Diarrhea
Chronic diarrhea can be caused by irritable bowel syndrome, infections, inflammatory bowel disease, food allergy or sensitivity, medicines, and endocrine disorders.
Treating the Cause of Diarrhea
Identifying the cause of diarrhea is the most important step in finding the cure for the condition.
Treatment can be as simple as eliminating the food or medicine that’s causing the condition.
Lactose intolerance, the inability to digest milk and dairy products properly, is one of the common causes of diarrhea. Treatment may involve refraining from milk and milk by-products and finding alternatives to known culprits like milk, cheese, breads, baked goods, cereals, salad dressings, and candies.
Laxatives and antacids can also cause diarrhea and their use should be reported to the doctor for proper evaluation and recommendation.
Diarrhea caused by infection may require treatment with antibiotics.
In cases where diarrhea is caused by Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis, long-term management is usually required.
Treating Diarrhea
The common objective of diarrhea treatment is to eliminate or reduce diarrhea.
Treatments may include:
- •Antidiarrheal medicines like loperamide or diphenoxylate
- •High-fiber diet to help bulk the stools
- •Fiber supplement
- •Prescription of Octeotide in severe cases
- •Bismuth
Treatment of Anal Fissures Caused by Diarrhea
Once the underlying causes of diarrhea is treated or controlled, anal fissures usually heal on its own with a few self-care methods. Diarrhea and anal fissure! How to proceed with the treatment of painful cracks?
Common anal fissure management includes taking sitz bath, a warm, healing, and cleansing bath that covers only the hips and the buttocks. Sitz baths are recommended to relieve pain and itching and to accelerate healing.
Nitroglycerin cream or ointment can be applied to heal anal fissures and alleviate the pain and itching. It helps improve blood circulation to the anal area and expedites the healing of cracks.
Ointment with anaesthetics may be applied directly to the anus before passing stools to numb the area during bowel movement.
Topical calcium channel blockers may be applied directly to the anus to expand the sphincter muscle and improve blood circulation to the anal area, facilitating faster healing.
Chronic diarrhea and fissure are medical conditions that require prompt attention to avoid more complications that can mean longer and more costly treatments.
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