Anal fistula
Causes
Causes of anal fistulas
Most anal fistulas develop after an anal abscess. They can occur if the abscess doesn't heal properly after the pus has drained away.
It's estimated that between one in every two to four people with an anal abscess will develop a fistula.
Less common causes of anal fistulas include:
- Crohn's disease a long-term condition in which the digestive system becomes inflamed
- diverticulitis infection of the small pouches that can stick out of the side of the large intestine (colon)
- hidradenitis suppurativa along-term skin condition that causes abscesses and scarring infection with tuberculosis (TB)or HIV a complication of surgery near the anus
Medically Reviewed by a doctor on 2 Feb 2018
Symptoms
Symptoms of an anal fistula include reddened skin around the anus, pain when the patient sits, moves, has a bowel movement or coughs, pus or bloody discharge during defecation, etc.
Causes
In general, an anal fistula develops following an anal abscess. This occurs when an abscess is not medicated in time, or when the drainage was not thorough enough.
Introduction
An anal fistula can be described as a narrow tunnel with its internal opening in the anal canal and its external opening in the skin near the anus. Fistulaes are usually infections near the anus caused by the accumulation of pus.
Treatment
An anal fistula is a condition which is almost always resolved by a surgeon. It is only when the fistula involves a single channel that its treatment is simple.
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