Anal fissures are known to create immense pain from small tears along the moist tissue line of the anus.
These tears make anyone dread going to the bathroom as they can leave tissue paper bloody. Seeing blood is alarming for anyone. However, the nature of your anal fissure will dictate what kind of anal fissure treatment you need to heal properly.
After all, not all anal fissures are the same.
There are various reasons for how they occur and develop, which is why certain classifications exist for anal fissures. These classifications help doctors to diagnose your anal fissure easier. In turn, knowing these classifications might help you as well.
See below the various classifications of anal fissures, so you can identify and get proper treatment!
The Classifications for Anal Fissures
When classifying anal fissures, it comes down to identifying certain characteristics of the conditions. For the most part, it means considering the etiology (the cause/origin), location, and duration of symptoms of your anal fissure.
Etiology-Based Anal Fissures
These types of anal fissures are typically from an external occurrence. However, it depends on how it happened, which is why these are split into primary and secondary anal fissures. Here are the two subtypes down below.
- Primary anal fissures: These anal fissures are caused by local trauma that ranges from hard stools, prolonged diarrhea, vaginal delivery, repetitive injury, or penetration. These anal fissures are also classified as usually posterior and anterior.
- Secondary anal fissures: These anal fissures are unlike primary ones due to previous surgical procedures in the anal area, along with other conditions being the culprit. These include inflammatory bowel disease, tuberculosis, sarcoidosis, HIV/AIDS, and syphilis. Typically, these are multiple and lateral in position.
Location of Anal Fissures
There are two locations where anal fissures can occur. Posterior anal fissures are in the posterior midline (back) of the anus. These anal fissures are rather common since around 85-90% of people have this particular one. Meanwhile, anterior anal fissures are rather uncommon in comparison. It amounts to approximately 10-15% of cases, which they’re typically found occurring in the anterior midline (front). In some rare cases, some people have them in both locations. However, fissures found elsewhere – off to the side – usually indicate possible diseases. That’s why knowing where anal fissures are important. It can help narrow down what your condition could be and how to treat it properly.
Anal Fissures Symptom Duration
Another part of classifying anal fissures is understanding how long symptoms last. Based on the duration of the symptoms, you can get an idea of the severity of your anal fissure. For the most part, an anal fissure can fall either acute or chronic. See the differences between the two down here.
- Acute anal fissures: Usually, these anal fissures are known to look like a fresh tear – similar to a paper cut. These anal fissures don’t lead to anything serious since they heal rather quickly. Most acute anal fissures heal with home treatment after a few days or four to eight weeks. If you were to have an anal fissure, this is probably the best you could hope for regarding a speedy recovery.
- Chronic anal fissures: These anal fissures are the inverse of acute ones. Unlike acute anal fissures, these usually have a deeper tear and may have internal or external fleshy growths. Furthermore, these are the ones that last the longest. An anal fissure is considered chronic when it lasts more than eight weeks. If you’re dealing with an anal fissure for that long, it clearly indicates a more serious case. In this case, getting checked out as soon as possible is important to get appropriate treatment.
Dealing with anal fissures is never great – no matter what type you have. Yet, having these classifications can make it easier for you to understand your type and seek appropriate treatment. Hopefully, this helped to narrow down what anal fissure you might have and make it easier to explain to your doctor about your particular condition.
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