Everyone Healthy Library
Anorectal Abscess
Condition / disease reference page from the Everyone Healthy database.
Connected health information
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Linked signs and symptoms
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Linked drugs / medications
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Treatments, therapies and supportive options
4Grouped by treatment type. These are educational database links, not personal treatment recommendations. Evidence labels are shown only where stored in the EH database.
Medical therapy
1Alternative and complementary therapies
1Alternative medicine
1Linked diagnostic tests and investigations
6These are pulled from both EH diagnostic-test link tables, including the older large test-link table.
Biological and test markers
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Often increased
2Often decreased
0No markers in this group.
Other associated markers
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Introduction / full article
Anorectal Abscess
Anorectal Abscess
An anorectal abscess (also called a perianal is a pus-filled cavity adjacent to the anus which is caused by bacterial infection.
They are usually caused by an abnormal concentration of bacteria in one part of the anus or anal canal. Bacterial infection of a gland within the anus causes the build-up of pus, leading to the formation of an abscess.
Symptoms and diagnosis
The most common symptom of anorectal abscess is pain in the anal region. The pain may be dull or throbbing, and peaks when the patient sits or has a bowel movement.
Other signs of anorectal abscess include constipation and significant fluctuations in body temperature.
Anorectal abscess can be diagnosed with physical and imaging examinations.
Treatment
Antibiotics alone are usually ineffective against anorectal abscesses, and are therefore used to supplement surgical treatment.
The abscess is cut open and the pus drained completely. An untreated or partially-drained abscess is prone to further infection, and can spread to other areas.
Efficacy of Alternative and Other Treatments According to GRADE* Ranking:
Strychnos Nux-Vomica (Maqianzi, Poison Nut) [1, 2, 3, 4]:
WARNING! This substance is HIGHLY POISONOUS. The seeds contain Strychnine, which may cause convulsions, breathing difficulties and death, even if as little as 5 milligrams is ingested.
Recommendation: Strongly against (There is no evidence in the form of clinical trials which reports the effectiveness of Strychnos Nux-Vomica, because it is highly poisonous to humans, and is not recommended.)
Grade of Evidence: very low quality of evidence
* www.gradeworkinggroup.org
Summary References
Treatments:
1. Ades T, Alteri R, Gansler T, Yeargin P, "Complete Guide to Complimentary & Alternative Cancer Therapies", American Cancer Society, Atlanta USA, 2009
2. David Michael Wood et al. Case report: Survival after deliberate strychnine self-poisoning, with toxicokinetic data. Critical Care October 2002 Vol 6 No 5
3. Arnold, M.D., Harry L. (1968). Poisonous Plants of Hawaii. Tokyo, Japan: Charles E. Tuttle Co.. p. 20. ISBN 0804804745.
4. http://www.cancer.org/Treatment/TreatmentsandSideEffects/ComplementaryandAlternativeMedicine/HerbsVitaminsandMinerals/strychnos-nux-vomica