Can anal fistula in children go away on their own?

The article was professionally consulted with Specialist Doctor II Tran Van Trong - Department of General Surgery - Vinmec International Hospital Da Nang.

Anal fistula is not an uncommon condition, is caused by a chronic bacterial infection of the anus and can occur at any age. Anal fistula is less life-threatening but seriously affects the quality of life of patients, especially young children. Therefore, anal fistula in children is a problem that parents need to pay special attention to.

The anus is where stool is removed from the body. Anal fistula is a condition where there is a small groove between the end of the intestine and the skin near the anus. Inside the anus there are many small glands. When a child has an anal fistula, one of these glands is blocked, possibly by an abscess or infection, leading to inflammation followed by accumulation of pus in the glands between the two sphincters of the rectum. When the boil breaks through the mouth, the mucosa near the anus will become a fistula.

Anal fistula is a very common disease in young children. Experts said that the cause of anal fistula in children is not caused by the caregiver's injury, but most children with anal fistula originate from anorectal abscesses that are not treated in time. .
Anal abscess is caused by the soft tissue surrounding the anal canal, the rectum is infected with bacteria, causing pus, forming a boil. After the boil in the anus is oozing pus, it is very difficult to enter and recur many times so that it will cause anal fistula for a long time. In addition, the phenomenon of long-term constipation, straining when defecating is also the cause of anal tearing and easy anal fistula.
A small number of children with congenital anal fistula do not have anal abscess, but the anal fistula still exists on its own.

Anal fistula in children includes many different degrees:
Complete fistula: The fistula penetrates from the inside to the outside. Incomplete leak: The fistula is only 1 hole. Complicated fistula, also known as horseshoe fistula: The fistula zigzags with many nooks and crannies, with many openings to the skin. Simple creepage: Straight, short creepage, not many nooks and crannies, not many holes. Fistula in the sphincter is also called a superficial fistula. Leak through the sphincter. External sphincter fistula.

When anal fistula occurs, children will have some of the following symptoms:
Swollen, hard, sometimes festering mass in the skin around the anus, these pus spots are swollen, recurrent, yellow discharge hurt the child. Children with anal itching. Passing pus or blood. Children with pain, crying a lot, need early treatment. Foul discharge near the anus. Constant pain, sharp pain when walking, moving or when sneezing, coughing. Skin irritation around the anus.

Anal fistula can cause uncomfortable symptoms such as discomfort and skin irritation. While it's not a complicated condition, it usually doesn't go away on its own and gets worse without early treatment. In most cases, the doctor will recommend surgery to intervene for the child.

When seeing signs of anal fistula in children, parents need to take their children to the doctor as soon as possible. Supportive treatment at home is to clean the child's anus with water and then soak the anus in diluted povidine-iodine for the purpose of disinfecting the fistula. A diagnostic fistula is difficult to perform in a child because the child is uncooperative and the fistula is very small. Anal fistulas are conditions that require surgery because they rarely heal. The most effective and thorough treatment is surgery to open the fistula or fill the fistula with specialized techniques.
For the treatment of anal fistula in children to be effective, after the treatment, parents should give the child a lot of green vegetables and fresh fruits, drink a lot of water to laxatives, avoid constipation and cause the fistula to crack. and relapse.
After surgery, if the child encounters conditions such as anal pain, feeling of wanting to push, fever, bowel disorders, constipation, infection, etc., it is necessary to discuss directly with the doctor to promptly remedied. Taking care of the anus after surgery is sometimes quite difficult for the caregiver (cleansing with antiseptic water daily, being patient, having children after 3 weeks will heal the incision).
Anal fistula in children must be treated in specialized hospitals and operated by pediatric gastrointestinal surgeons because these are cases that require high precision, if there are any errors Which is very easy to injure the sphincter, causing the child to lose control when defecating.
As a key area of ​​Vinmec Health system, Pediatrics Department always brings satisfaction to customers and is highly appreciated by industry experts with:
Gathering a team of top doctors and nurses in Pediatrics : consists of leading experts with high professional qualifications (professors, associate professors, doctorates, masters), experienced, worked at major hospitals such as Bach Mai, 108.. Doctors All doctors are well-trained, professional, conscientious, knowledgeable about young psychology. In addition to domestic pediatric specialists, the Department of Pediatrics also has the participation of foreign experts (Japan, Singapore, Australia, USA) who are always pioneers in applying the latest and most effective treatment regimens. . Comprehensive services: In the field of Pediatrics, Vinmec provides a series of continuous medical examination and treatment services from Newborn to Pediatric and Vaccine,... according to international standards to help parents take care of their baby's health from birth to childhood. from birth to adulthood Specialized techniques: Vinmec has successfully deployed many specialized techniques to make the treatment of difficult diseases in Pediatrics more effective: neurosurgery - skull surgery, stem cell transplantation. blood in cancer treatment. Professional care: In addition to understanding children's psychology, Vinmec also pays special attention to the children's play space, helping them to have fun and get used to the hospital's environment, cooperate in treatment, improve the efficiency of medical treatment.