Foreign body sensation in anus

The anus is a relatively private part of our body. Many times people don’t like to talk about the anus, as if they will have a feeling of uncleanness when talking about the anus. However, the anus is relatively important to us, and we must take good care of the anus in our lives. Sometimes people may feel like there is a foreign object in their anus. This may be caused by some disease and you need to go to the hospital for examination.

The harm of foreign body sensation in the anus

1. Cause anemia:

Bleeding during or after defecation is bright red in color. Sometimes there is a small amount of blood on the surface of the stool, or the toilet paper is stained red. Sometimes it is dripping or spurting blood. Varicose veins may rupture due to feces abrading the mucosa or excessive force during defecation, which increases the pressure in the blood vessels. Long-term and repeated bleeding, or multiple heavy bleeding, can also cause anemia.

2. Anal pain:

Simple internal hemorrhoids are generally painless, and sometimes only cause a feeling of heaviness in the anus or difficulty in defecation. If the prolapse is not repositioned in time, the pain will worsen; if incarceration occurs, ulceration and necrosis occur, causing inflammation and edema of the anal margin, the pain will be severe.

3. Hemorrhoid prolapse:

As the size of hemorrhoids increases, they are squeezed by feces during defecation, causing them to gradually separate from the muscle layer and prolapse out of the anus. Sometimes 1-2 hemorrhoids prolapse at the same time, and sometimes all hemorrhoids and rectal mucosa prolapse together. At first, it can be reset by itself after defecation. For those with more severe symptoms, it needs to be pushed back by hand or rest in bed before it can be reset. For those with more serious symptoms, in addition to prolapse during defecation, it may also be prolapsed by any exertion, walking, coughing, sneezing, squatting, etc.

4. Mucus discharge:

Long-term irritation of the rectal mucosa by hemorrhoids causes increased secretions; in the late stage of internal hemorrhoids, secretions often flow out of the anus due to relaxation of the anal sphincter. In mild cases, the secretions will flow out during bowel movements, and in severe cases, the secretions will flow out naturally even when there is no bowel movement, contaminating the underwear and causing great inconvenience to the patient. Moreover, when internal hemorrhoids prolapse, the secretions will be even greater.

5. Anal itching:

Due to the stimulation of secretions or prolapsed hemorrhoids, the area around the anus becomes damp and unclean, causing eczema and itching. The itching is sometimes caused by the reflex action of prolapsed internal hemorrhoids.

Causes of foreign body sensation in anus

(1) Anal canal inflammation

Anal canal inflammation is caused by long-term fecal irritation and bad bowel habits. Repeated constipation or diarrhea can cause inflammation in the anal canal. Due to the presence of inflammation, many patients have the phenomenon of holding back their bowels, so they are prone to experiencing a foreign body sensation in the anus.

(2) Hemorrhoids

In clinical medicine, hemorrhoids are divided into three types based on the dentate line: external hemorrhoids, internal hemorrhoids, and mixed hemorrhoids. The main symptoms of external hemorrhoids are anal swelling, pain, and a foreign body sensation. Especially for connective tissue type external hemorrhoids, skin flaps grow at the edge of the anus, gradually increase in size, and are soft in texture. There is generally no pain or bleeding, only a foreign body sensation in the anus.

(3) Rectal prolapse

When the anal canal and rectal mucosa in the intestinal cavity relax, accumulation will occur due to the influence of gravity. When it does not prolapse outside the anus, the patient will have obvious anal pain. In addition, rectal prolapse can also cause various inconveniences, such as difficulty in defecation, fecal incontinence and other symptoms.

(4) Perianal abscess

When a perianal abscess develops under the skin, a lump will appear around the anus. Moreover, the lump will make the anus feel like it is falling. When the lump becomes purulent, the patient will experience severe pain.

(5) Relaxation of rectal mucosa

Relaxation of the rectal mucosa is also called internal rectal prolapse. It can be divided into stage I, stage II, and stage III according to the degree of development. Its main symptoms are difficulty in defecation, swelling of the anus, and a foreign body sensation in the anus.

(6) Hypertrophy of anal papilla

Anal papillary hypertrophy is a benign disease, often manifested as white papillary tumors in the anal canal, which are hard and often multiple. The main symptom of anal papillitis is the feeling of a foreign body in the anus. As the nipple proliferates and hypertrophies, the nipple may fall out of the anus during defecation. Small nipples can return to the anus by themselves after defecation, while large nipples need to be pushed back into the anus by hand. If not repositioned in time, it may cause anal edema and swelling.