What is anal swelling?

Generally speaking, the human body defecates once one to two days under normal circumstances, but special circumstances are not ruled out. Sometimes diarrhea and constipation may occur due to diet, climate or living environment. The human body must defecate through the anus, which is also one of the functions of the anus. Of course, in addition to this, the anus has many other functions. But the anus is the place for defecation after all, so people should pay attention to its hygiene in daily life. If they do not pay attention to hygiene, it may cause anal diseases, such as anal prolapse.

Speaking of anal pain, there are many reasons for it. It may be caused by people not paying attention to hygiene protection in their daily lives, or it may be caused by the invasion of certain bacteria and viruses. No matter what the cause of the anal prolapse, the human body will feel very uncomfortable. So what exactly is the anal pain?

Anal distension refers to the feeling that the human body has the urge to defecate. In severe cases, it can manifest as tenesmus, that is, there is actually no stool to pass, but the urge to defecate is repeated. This situation is sometimes a very typical local symptom of peritoneal irritation, especially the irritation caused by the accumulation of blood in the rectal fossa to the rectum.

Many people usually experience anal distension and heaviness. This feeling is a unique symptom of anorectal disease. Because the lower rectum is mainly controlled by visceral nerves, when the rectum is diseased, the pain is not obvious but the feeling of heaviness is obvious. The causes of anal prolapse are as follows:

1. Inflammation of the rectum and anal sinus Inflammation is one of the main causes of anal swelling. The course of the disease varies. Symptoms include frequent urge to defecate, increased heaviness and distension during defecation, or pain and distension radiating to the sacrum and coccyx causing pain, or thin stools, or stools with a small amount of mucus and blood. During rectal examination, if it is proctitis, the mucosa in the middle and lower rectum will be congested and edematous, or there will be a large amount of secretions attached, or there will be ulcers and bleeding; if it is anal sinusitis, the diseased anal sinus opening will be congested, or a small amount of purulent secretions will overflow, and there will be a sore and swollen feeling when pressing this area.

2. Rectal prolapse Vertical rectal prolapse refers to the situation in which the entire layer of the proximal rectal wall or the mucosal layer alone is folded into the distal intestinal cavity or anal canal during defecation, does not extend beyond the outer edge of the anus, and persists after the feces are discharged. The most prominent symptoms of internal rectal prolapse are time-consuming and laborious defecation, anal distension, increased frequency of bowel movements, and incomplete emptying of the rectum. Other common symptoms include mucus and blood in the stool, abdominal pain, diarrhea, and abnormal urination. These symptoms seem to have no characteristic features. Lee S. Dvorkin et al. divided 896 patients who had undergone defecography into three groups: simple internal rectal prolapse, simple rectocele, and a combination of the two. They conducted a statistical analysis of their symptoms and concluded that anal distension had the best specificity (odds ratio, 4.9, P0.001; odds ratio, 3.6, P=0.006), followed by increased frequency of bowel movements (odds ratio, 3.55, P=0.04), while time-consuming and laborious defecation and incomplete defecation had very poor specificity.

3. Malignant tumors of the anal canal and rectum often cause anal swelling in the middle and late stages of the disease. Accompanied by frequent urge to defecate, tenesmus or bloody stools, weight loss, fatigue and listlessness. Digital examination may reveal a hard mass or tenderness in the anal canal or rectum. There may be pus and blood on the fingertip, and a foul odor. Tissue biopsy can help with diagnosis.

4. Perianal abscess has an acute onset and is easily misdiagnosed. Because some abscesses are located deep, the lesions mostly occur in the area innervated by the autonomic nerves, and the pain is often not obvious, manifesting as symptoms of heaviness, pain, or rectal irritation.

There are many reasons for anal prolapse, but the symptoms of anal prolapse are very obvious. In reality, people often fail to go to the hospital for treatment in time when they find themselves suffering from anal prolapse because of face issues, thus missing the best time for treatment and causing the disease to worsen. In fact, the most precious thing for people is life, and physical health is directly linked to life. So in the future, when any disease endangers health, people might as well put face aside. The most important thing is to cure the disease as soon as possible and ensure physical health.