Do I Have Anal Fistula?

Do you have a pain and swelling around your anus?

Do you have a constant, throbbing pain that may be worse when you sit down, move around, defecate or cough?

Do you have bloody or foul-smelling drainage (pus) from an opening around your anus?

Do you have an irritation of the skin around your anus?

Do you feel pain with bowel movements?

Do you have blood or puss in your stool?

Do you have rectal bleeding?

Do you have fever, chills and a general feeling of fatigue?

Does your pain decrease after the fistula drains?

Do you have difficulty controlling bowel movements (bowel incontinence)?

Do you have a visible hole in the skin near your anus (the end of the fistula)?

Do you have frequent anal abscesses (a collection of pus that develops near the anus)?

Do you have a history of a previously drained anal abscess?

Based on your answers it is unlikely that you have an anal fistula. An anal fistula is an unnatural connection between the area inside your anal canal and the skin around your anus. An anal fistula looks like a small tunnel under the skin with a visible external opening near your anus. There are a number of small glands around your anus that produce mucus. They drain into the anal canal. Sometimes these glands become clogged resulting in abscess (pus-filled sac). An abscess can extend to the surface of the skin around the anus forming a fistula.

Based on your answers there is a possibility that you have an anal fistula. An anal fistula is an aberrant communication between the anal canal and the skin around your anus (perianal skin). An infection of the small glands around your anus can result in the formation of an abscess. An abscess is actually a collection of pus that can spread to the skin surface. The pus drains away, but a small tunnel remains. This tunnel is called a fistula. The fistula may seals over, but every time the abscess reoccurs the process may repeat itself. Anal fistulas must be treated surgically.

Based on your answers there is a high possibility that you have an anal fistula. An anal fistula is a thin tunnel that connects the inside of your anal canal to the skin near your anus. This connection is abnormal, and it is usually caused by improper healing of anal abscesses (collections of pus in small glands around your anus). The abscess can spread all the way to the surface of the skin around your anus, piercing a hole in the skin. The tunnel that connects anal glands to that opening is called the fistula. The fistula must be repaired by surgery.