Anal Itch

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Reviewed By:

Yoshinori Abe

Yoshinori Abe, MD (Internal medicine)

Dr. Abe graduated from The University of Tokyo School of Medicine in 2015. He completed his residency at the Tokyo Metropolitan Health and Longevity Medical Center. He co-founded Ubie, Inc. in May 2017, where he currently serves as CEO & product owner at Ubie. Since December 2019, he has been a member of the Special Committee for Activation of Research in Emergency AI of the Japanese Association for Acute Medicine. | | Dr. Abe has been elected in the 2020 Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia Healthcare & Science category.

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Content updated on Jan 4, 2023

About the symptom

Pruritus ani (anal pruritus) descibes an itchy sensation in the area around the anus. It has many possible causes such as skin conditions, excessive washing and hemorrhoids.

When to see a doctor

Seek professional care if you experience any of the following symptoms

  • Hematochezia (rectal bleeding)

  • Swelling of the affected area

Possible causes

  • Hemorrhoids (anal fissure)

    Hemorrhoids or piles, are swollen veins in the lowest part of your rectum (last part of the large intestine). It is a common condition which may be caused due to straining during bowel movements or sitting for long periods on the toilet.

  • Hemorrhoid

    Commonly known as piles, it is the swelling around the anal area where faeces is excreted from the body. These can be formed inside or outside of the anus. This is due to excessive straining or poor blood flow to the area, and can result in painless bleeding.

  • Anal pruritus

    This refers to itching over the skin around the anus, where faeces is passed.

  • Anal skin tag
  • Rectal prolapse
  • Anal fistula
  • Condyloma Acuminatum
  • Anal cancer

Related serious diseases

  • Perianal abscess

    A collection of pus near the anus. It happens more commonly in patients with diabetes, obesity, or certain conditions that cause gut ulcers.

Questions your doctor may ask about this symptom

Your doctor may ask these questions to check for this symptom

  • Do you have itching of the anal region?

  • Do you have loose stools or diarrhea?

  • Do you have itchy skin?

  • Do you have any skin problems?

  • Have you ever been diagnosed with diabetes or pre-diabetes?

Other Related Symptoms

Similar symptoms or complaints

References

  • Sahnan K, Lever L, Philips RK. Anal itching. BMJ. 2016 Nov 4;355:i4931. doi: 10.1136/bmj.i4931. Erratum in: BMJ. 2016 Nov 29;355:i6419. PMID: 27815254.

    https://www.bmj.com/content/355/bmj.i4931

Reviewed By:

Yoshinori Abe

Yoshinori Abe, MD (Internal medicine)

Dr. Abe graduated from The University of Tokyo School of Medicine in 2015. He completed his residency at the Tokyo Metropolitan Health and Longevity Medical Center. He co-founded Ubie, Inc. in May 2017, where he currently serves as CEO & product owner at Ubie. Since December 2019, he has been a member of the Special Committee for Activation of Research in Emergency AI of the Japanese Association for Acute Medicine. | | Dr. Abe has been elected in the 2020 Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia Healthcare & Science category.

From our team of 50+ doctors

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Shohei Harase

Shohei Harase, MD

Neurology

Kameda Medical Center, Japan

Yu Shirai

Yu Shirai, MD

Psychiatry

Yotsuya Yui Clinic, Japan

Yoshinori Abe

Yoshinori Abe, MD

Internal medicine

Co-founder of Ubie, Inc.

Rohini R

Rohini R, MD

Ear, nose, throat (ENT)

Bayshore Health Centre, India

Seiji Kanazawa

Seiji Kanazawa, MD, PHD

Obstetrics and gynecology (OBGYN)

National Center for Child Health and Development, Japan

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