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Itching at the rectum

Pruritus ani (Latin name)

By Bjarne Lühr Hansen PhD, MD and Philipp Skafte-Holm MD, Mentor Institute

Itching of the rectum is very common and is usually due to common and non-serious diseases. If the itching is accompanied by pain in the rectum or bleeding from the rectum this may be a sign of a serious disease. You can do a lot to come the itch to life.

Itching at the rectum is very frequent and something most of us will experience. The skin around the rectum is exposed to many local irritants - such as stools, urine and soap. Too much and too little cleaning of the skin may cause skin irritation and thus itchiness. I

tching of the rectum may be due to many different diseases, but at 20 % there is no explanation. The most frequent causes are excessive washing with soap, eczema, haemorrhoids, threadworm and diarrhoea.

A rare but serious cause is cancer of the rectum. Itching of rectum and concurrent pain, bleeding or diarrhoea may be a sign of serious illness.

What can you do?

It is important to avoid irritating the skin by the rectum. Too much and too little cleaning will worsen the condition. Wash yourself in the morning and evening with mild soap without perfume.
Avoid rubbing hard with toilet paper after toilet visits and butter with water repellent ointment.
Sweating between the balls may irritate the skin. Avoid tight clothing and plastic seats. Use moisturizing binders that you change frequently.
It's important but hard to avoid scratching yourself at the rectum. When you scratch you irritate the skin and there may be small scratches that can cause inflammation in the area.

Contact the doctor tomorrow

If you can not solve the problem yourself in a few weeks. Your doctor may prescribe anti-inflammatory medicines and look for inflammation and haemorrhoids.
If in addition to itching if you also have pain in the rectum or bleeding from the rectum.

Contact the doctor immediately

Never necessary.