In the eyes of many patients, perianal abscess and “fire boils” are the same thing, and they think that perianal abscess is just a boil on the buttocks, so they think that it can go down with some anti-inflammatory drugs and creams, and then they can have an anti-inflammatory injection, and they don’t even think about surgical treatment, and they often come to the clinic only when they can’t stand the pain. Although the symptoms of perianal abscess and boils are somewhat similar, the two should never be confused. Let’s talk about the difference between the two today.
Similarities
They are both infectious diseases and both have pus, redness, swelling, heat and pain.
Difference
1.First of all, definition
Boil: What we usually call a boil is a purulent infection of the hair follicle and the deep surrounding tissue of the hair follicle.
Perianal abscess: also known as perianal rectal abscess, known as anal carbuncle in Chinese medicine. Perianal abscess is an acute purulent infectious disease that occurs around the anus, anal canal and rectum.
2.Etiology
Boils are infections of the sebaceous glands of hair follicles caused by the influence of various susceptibility factors (such as long-term carriage of Staphylococcus aureus, diabetes, obesity, poor hygiene habits, and immunodeficiency states).
Perianal abscess is caused by the entry of intestinal bacteria into the anal sinus causing its inflammation, blocking the opening of the anal gland, causing obstruction of the outflow of anal gland fluid and causing the infection of the anal gland, which spreads to the perianal space through the muscular space and lymphatic vessels and finally forms a perianal rectal abscess.
3. Location of disease
The location of boils is superficial, usually growing outside the flesh of the skin, with a limited scope of about 1cm in size and a central pus plug.
The location of perianal abscess is deeper, often occurring in the perianal rectal space, which is deeper than boils, and these spaces are filled with loose connective tissue and are prone to infection.
4.Clinical manifestations
In boils, initially, small nodules with redness, swelling and pain appear locally, and later they gradually swell up and become conical and elevated. After a few days, the central part of the nodule becomes soft due to tissue necrosis, and small yellow-white pus plugs appear; the scope of redness, swelling and pain expands. After a few more days, the pus plugs fall off, the pus is discharged, and the inflammation gradually disappears and heals.
In perirectal abscesses, low abscesses present with severe anal pain, and this pain continues unabated. A perirectal abscess (high level) is not necessarily painful. Because the perirectal area belongs to the pelvic cavity, the vegetative nerves distributed here are insensitive to common stimuli and manifest themselves most predominantly as localized cramping and bowel sensations. Also the most common accompanying symptom of perirectal abscess is fever, which is usually high and can even exceed 40°C.
5.Prognosis
Boils have a good prognosis and usually heal on their own after the pus clots are dislodged.
If a perianal abscess is left untreated, it may spread gradually along the perianal space and develop further. If it breaks down, it will form an anal fistula, which often shows swelling and pain, pus flow and itching.
6.Check
It can be identified by ultrasound, CT, MRI and other examinations.
Warm tips
Most perianal abscesses can be cured by active surgical treatment in the early stage. High-grade abscesses are complicated and have the possibility of recurrent attacks. In a very small number of patients, the infection is so severe that it can cause death.