The Difference Between Piles and Anal Fissures
Piles, also known as hemorrhoids, is caused due to the swelling or inflammation of the blood vessels, muscles and tissues of the anus region. The major reasons for piles are chronic constipation, consuming spicy food and long periods of sitting. There are four stages of piles – Grade 1, Grade 2, Grade 3 and Grade 4.
Grade 1 of piles does not produce any visible symptoms. It also does not cause too much pain or discomfort among the patients. Grade 2 is known as the prolapsed stage. In this stage, the hemorrhoids protrude out from the anal opening during the time of passing stool. Grade 3 is the painful stage. The hemorrhoids protrude out from the anal opening during the time of passing stool. In this stage, the patient has to push back the hemorrhoid with the finger. Grade 4 is a completely and permanently prolapsed stage. In this stage, the hemorrhoids permanently remain outside. The patient faces extreme pain to sit or lie down. They may even see blood in the stool.
Anal fissure, on the other hand, is a small cut due to hard stool on the thin skin area around the anus, generally around the anal opening. The passing of stool becomes difficult due to anal fissure. It is important to consult with a fissure specialist doctor in India for this purpose.
Also read: Why Do Piles and Fissure Often Occur Together? A Doctor Explains!
Causes of Piles and Fissure
The major reasons for piles or hemorrhoids are schedule of sitting on a hard surface for long hours continuously, putting pressure on the blood veins on the anal area, constipation, pregnancy and chronic cough.
On the other hand, the major reasons for anal fissures are constipation, sitting on the toilet seat for prolonged hours of time, pregnancy, putting a lot of pressure to pass stool and Crohn’s disease.
Types of Piles and Fissure
There are three major types of piles or hemorrhoids which are internal hemorrhoids, external hemorrhoids and thrombosed hemorrhoids.
Internal Hemorrhoids
It is caused due to hard lumps in the back passage inside the rectal cavity. The patient might not feel them at the initial stage as that area has very few pain sensing nerves. However, if you have prolonged constipation or strained bowel movement it can create occasional bleeding and pain. Some of the symptoms for internal hemorrhoids are itching in anus area, irritation and pain in the anus, stool leakage, swelling inside the anal cavity and occasional blood stools due to rupture.
External Hemorrhoids
It happens in the outer region of the anal canal. Therefore, it is more painful and prominent. It is generally covered with regular skin and pain nerves around them. This type of hemorrhoids are more painful and contain a high risk of clots, skin tags and other skin infections.
Thrombosed Hemorrhoids
It is characterised by a blood clot which prevents blood flow. Majority of the times, these hemorrhoids burst and start bleeding due to the excessive pressure of blood. Although thrombosed haemorrhoids can cause a lot of pain and discomfort, they are usually benign. Before it becomes too serious, it is recommended to consult with a hemorrhoid specialist doctor and get yourself treated properly.
On the other hand, fissures can be categorised into two major categories which are acute fissures and chronic fissures.
Acute Fissures
These are freshly developed and therefore, it can be cured with ease. The patient can follow simple home remedies and promote the self healing process. If untreated, it can lead to chronic fissure in the future.
Chronic Fissures
This type of fissure lasts more than 8-12 weeks. It needs medical assistance to heal. Chronic fissures include swelling along with anal tear. It is commonly known as skin tag whereas the extra tissue growth is known as hypertrophied papilla.
Symptoms of Piles and Fissure
The major symptoms of piles are blood in stool, painful bowel movements, painful lump near the anus, mucus discharge due to puss, itching, pain around the anal area and red and sore skin around the anal area.
On the other hand, the major symptoms of anal fissure are tear around anal area, small lump near the tear, painful bowel movements, blood in stool or toilet paper, itching or burning sensation around the anus region.
Prevention and Treatment
It requires a fiber rich diet, a lot of water intake, and avoiding sitting constantly on hard surfaces to prevent piles or hemorrhoids. On the other hand, for the prevention of anal fissure it requires sufficient intake of liquids and a healthy diet.
Early stages of the piles or hemorrhoids can be treated with medications and home remedies such as sitz baths. For the case of a prolapsed stage, piles or hemorrhoids need to be treated surgically. There is minimal chance of the recurrence of piles if the patient opts for laser treatment. There is minimal pain during or after the surgery. However, it is recommended to get yourself operated by the best piles specialist doctor. The patient can go home the same day after the surgery.
On the other hand, anal fissures can be treated with lateral sphincterotomy, open surgery and laser treatment. The treatment aims at relaxing the anal sphincter by the passage of soft stool to promote quick healing. For the case of an acute anal fissure, the anal fissure specialist doctors generally prescribes mild medications and suggests eating a healthy, fiber-rich diet with a lot of water and other healthy fluids for recovery.
Conclusion
Anorectal diseases such as piles and fissure deliver similar symptoms such as painful bowel movements, blood in stool or toilet paper, constipation, pain, swelling, redness or sore skin around the anal area. It happens due to unnecessary eating and inactive lifestyle habits such as less or no physical activity and sitting for a huge time daily. Altogether, the symptoms and causes may be similar to the piles and fissure but they are both totally different diseases, with different treatments, as per the disease. More importantly, most persons are not aware about the extent and diversity in anorectal diseases and suspect of piles on experiencing symptoms like painful bowel movements, blood, mucus or pus discharge.
The patient needs to consult with a doctor before coming to any conclusion about the disease. Dr. Azhar Alam is one of the best piles specialist doctor in Kolkata. It is recommended for the people in and around Kolkata to consult with him if there is any issue in the bowel movement or any other discomfort.
