Causes of Rectal Prolapse

Anorectal diseases are a common disease in my country. The most common anorectal disease is hemorrhoids. However, the anorectal disease that is more harmful to the human body is rectal prolapse. For people who suffer from long-term constipation, the possibility of suffering from rectal prolapse is very high. The disease can recover on its own at the beginning, but as the symptoms worsen, the rectal prolapse will eventually become more and more serious. Even a cough may cause rectal prolapse.

If rectal prolapse is not treated in time, it can easily cause ulceration of the skin in the anus, leading to inflammation and causing greater pain to the patient's life. If you want to treat rectal prolapse, you first need to understand what causes it. The cause of rectal prolapse is not yet fully understood, but is believed to be related to multiple factors.

Causes of Rectal Prolapse

1. Anatomical factors

Children with poor development, malnourished patients, and the elderly are prone to weak anal levator muscles and pelvic floor fascia; the curvature of the sacrum in children is small and too straight; surgery or traumatic damage to the muscles or nerves around the anorectum can weaken the fixation and support of the rectum by the tissues around the rectum, making the rectum prone to prolapse.

2. Increased abdominal pressure

Such as constipation, diarrhea, prostate hypertrophy, chronic cough, difficulty urinating, multiple births, etc., often lead to increased abdominal pressure, pushing the rectum downward prolapse.

3. Others

Internal hemorrhoids and rectal polyps often prolapse, pulling the rectal mucosa downward and inducing mucosal prolapse.

Currently, there are two theories about the causes of complete rectal prolapse. ① Sliding hernia theory: due to increased intra-abdominal pressure and relaxation of pelvic floor tissue, the anterior rectal peritoneal reflection at the rectovesical pouch or the rectouterine pouch is pushed downward and displaced, pressing the anterior rectal wall into the rectal ampulla and finally protruding out of the anus. ② Intussusception theory: Intussusception begins at the junction of the rectum and sigmoid colon. Under the influence of factors such as increased abdominal pressure and relaxation of the pelvic floor, the intussusceptible part continues to move downward, eventually causing the rectum to prolapse from the anus.

After understanding the cause of rectal prolapse, patients must adopt a reasonable treatment plan and choose whether to use medication or surgical treatment according to their own situation. In addition, in order to avoid recurrence of the disease after treatment, they must pay attention to developing good bowel habits, otherwise it will lead to the recurrence of rectal prolapse.