Anal Itching

The most common causes of anal itching are

Most often, doctors do not identify a specific disorder as the cause of anal itching, and the itching goes away without treatment after a period of time. Many of the other cases of anal itching are due to hygiene issues. Only a very few cases are caused by a specific disorder (see table ), such as pinworms Pinworm Infection Pinworm infection is caused by the intestinal roundworm Enterobius vermicularis and usually affects children, but adult members of their households and caregivers, institutionalized people... read more or a fungal infection. Of the specific causes, only rare causes such as inflammatory bowel disease Overview of Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) In inflammatory bowel diseases, the intestine (bowel) becomes inflamed, often causing recurring abdominal pain and diarrhea. The two primary types of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) are Crohn... read more and cancer of the skin around the anus are considered serious.

Extremes in hygiene can lead to anal itching. For instance, inadequate cleansing leaves irritating stool and sweat residue on the anal skin. More commonly, overly vigorous cleansing, often with sanitary wipes and strong soaps, can dry or irritate the skin or occasionally cause an allergic reaction. Hemorrhoids Hemorrhoids Hemorrhoids are dilated, twisted blood vessels located in the wall of the lower rectum and anus. The swollen vessels are caused by an increase in pressure. Lumps form inside or outside of the... read more can make it difficult for people to thoroughly clean themselves after a bowel movement. Some hemorrhoids produce mucus or cause leakage, both of which can cause itching.

Young children and older people may have problems controlling their urine (called urinary incontinence Urinary Incontinence in Adults Urinary incontinence is involuntary loss of urine. Incontinence can occur in both men and women at any age, but it is more common among women and older people, affecting about 30% of older women... read more ) or stool (called stool incontinence Stool Incontinence in Children Stool incontinence is the inappropriate passing of bowel movements that is not caused by illness or physical abnormality. Stool incontinence can be voluntary or involuntary. It occurs in about... read more in children and fecal incontinence Fecal Incontinence Fecal incontinence is the loss of control over bowel movements. Fecal incontinence can occur briefly during bouts of diarrhea or when hard stool becomes lodged in the rectum ( fecal impaction)... read more in adults). These disorders may cause irritation that leads to skin infections and anal itching.

Once anal itching starts, an itch-scratch-itch cycle can begin, in which scratching causes more itching. Often, people scratch and rub the itchy area so much that they scrape the skin open. The scrapes sometimes become irritated, which causes yet more itching. Also, people sometimes become allergic to the ointments or other treatments they use for the itching.

Not every episode of anal itching requires immediate evaluation by a doctor. The following information can help people decide whether a doctor’s evaluation is needed and help them know what to expect during the evaluation.

The best way to treat anal itching is to treat the underlying disorder. For example, medications can be taken for parasitic infections (such as pinworms), and creams can be applied for fungal infections (such as Candida, also called yeast).

Irritating foods can be eliminated from the diet or avoided for a while to see whether the itching lessens. If possible, antibiotics can be stopped or switched.