For someone suffering from chronic anal fissures, it is natural to look for aggravating circumstances. There are people who have suffered from the condition for months and even for a year or more, so it is understandable that they would like to know if an anal fissure can be prolonged by a certain food or practice. One of the possible questions would be, “is the tobacco in cigarette smoking responsible for anal fissures?” The practice of smoking, after all, has been associated with other medical conditions and should also be considered.
Is it the sole cause of anal fissures?
If ever tobacco were discovered to be a reason behind the development of anal fissures, it would not be the only one. The more popular cause of anal fissures is physical trauma. People who have strained during a bowel movement, had been subjected to sexual abuse, or who have other high-risk medical conditions, such as HIV may develop anal fissures.
Is tobacco in cigarette smoking responsible for anal fissures?
As far as one can tell these days, it is not directly responsible. Tobacco, whether smoked or chewed, had not been directly associated with anal fissures. However, there are some conditions that it can trigger that may be the cause of the fissures.
For example, tobacco has been found to cause all sorts of pulmonary problems, from triggering asthma to causing lung cancer. Tobacco also puts people at a risk for tuberculosis, which is one of the triggering factors of anal fissures, so tobacco does have a more indirect link to the painful condition.
Could tobacco aggravate an existing anal fissure?
Not only is tobacco indirectly associated with anal fissures, but it can also aggravate an existing condition. Tobacco, after all, promotes slow healing. This is not exactly what an anal fissure sufferer would want to happen. An anal tear or fissure can feel like a knife slicing up the infected area, especially when straining to release a hard stool. Blood flow may also be compromised by tobacco, and blood flow is an important ingredient in wound healing.
Tobacco has also been known to produce more infections. While the anus is definitely a long way from the mouth and the lungs, it can be generally affected by the overall poor health that tobacco is maintaining in a smoker or a tobacco chewer. It is best to quit smoking when recovering from an anal fissure. Someone who has suffered from it before or have undergone surgery because of chronic anal fissures should refrain from using tobacco in whatever form. Tobacco can also hinder the healing of surgical wounds. Again, this is not something that a patient would like to have if he wants to get rid of a chronic tear.
By discovering the indirect link of tobacco and anal fissures, one would realize just how everything in the human body is connected. Poor health and the use of tobacco would not just result to tuberculosis or asthma. It can also trigger anal fissures and their poor healing.
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