Proctitis is the inflammation of the tissue that lines the rectum, called the rectal mucosa. This inflammation can arise for several reasons, from infections like herpes or gonorrhea, an inflammatory disease, such as ulcerative colitis or Crohn's disease, changes in blood circulation, allergies or even the side effect of radiotherapy.
The signs and symptoms of proctitis are variable, including pain in the anus or rectum, outflow of blood, mucus or pus through the anus, difficulty in evacuating and bleeding in the stool. The intensity of the symptoms varies if the inflammation is mild or if it is severe, as in the case where it forms ulcers deep in the tissue.
Treatment is guided by the proctologist, according to the cause of the inflammation and includes antibiotics or drugs with anti-inflammatory effect, such as corticosteroids, mesalazine or sulfasalazine, for example, orally or rectally. In the most severe cases, it may even be necessary to perform surgery to remove the compromised tissue.
What are the causes
The main causes of proctitis are:
- Sexually transmitted diseases, such as herpes, gonorrhea, syphilis, chlamydia or cytomegalovirus, for example, and mainly affect people who have intimate anal contact and who have weakened immunity. Learn more about sexually transmitted intestinal infections; Infections, such as rectal schistosomiasis, amoebiasis, or caused by the bacterium Clostridium difficile, which causes intense intestinal inflammation, called pseudomembranous colitis, and which occurs mainly in people who are being treated with antibiotics. Check out how to identify and treat pseudomembranous colitis; Inflammatory bowel disease, such as Crohn's disease or ulcerative colitis, which causes inflammation due to autoimmune causes; Actinic proctitis, caused by the action of radiotherapy, used to treat cancer; Changes in the nerves or blood circulation of the rectum, such as ischemia or rheumatic disease, for example; Allergic colitis, caused by the consumption of foods that cause allergies, such as cow's milk protein, more common in babies; Medicated colitis, caused by the action of drugs, especially antibiotics, which can alter the intestinal flora.
It should also be remembered that lesions in the rectum and anus can also be a sign of cancer in the region. It is also possible that the cause of proctitis is not identified, thus being classified as idiopathic proctitis.
Main symptoms
Symptoms of proctitis are pain in the rectum or anus, difficulty with bowel movement, diarrhea, bleeding from the anus or that is noticed in the stool, urge to evacuate frequently or mucus or pus coming out of the anus. The intensity of the symptoms varies according to the severity of the disease.
How to confirm
The diagnosis of proctitis is made by the coloproctologist, through clinical evaluation and requesting tests such as anuscopy, sigmoidoscopy or even a colonoscopy to assess the rest of the large intestine.
A biopsy of the rectum may identify the severity of the inflammation, as it may show the cause. In addition, blood tests can help identify the cause by looking for signs of infection or an inflammation marker.
How the treatment is done
The treatment of proctitis is done according to its cause, and is guided by the coloproctologist. Thus, it is important to remove the causes of inflammation, either through antibiotics to eliminate microorganisms, as well as the removal of foods or medications that may be worsening the condition.
Medicines with anti-inflammatory effect, whether orally or rectally, such as corticosteroids, sulfasalazine or mesalazine, for example, are used to relieve symptoms, especially in cases of inflammatory bowel disease. In these cases, it may also be necessary to use potent immunosuppressive drugs.
In cases of severe impairment due to inflammation or ischemia of the rectum or when symptoms do not subside with clinical treatment, surgery may be necessary to remove necrotic tissue or that is severely compromised.
Natural treatment
During the treatment recommended by the doctor, some homemade measures can be taken to aid recovery, but they should never replace the doctor's guidance.
Thus, during inflammation of the intestine, it is recommended to take some care with the diet, giving preference to easily digestible foods, such as fruit juice, cereals such as rice and white pasta, lean meats, natural yogurt, soups and vegetables.
Preferably, you should eat a small amount, several times a day. It is also recommended to avoid foods with husks, seeds, nuts, corn, beans, carbonated drinks, caffeine, alcohol and spicy foods. Check out more nutritionist guidelines on diet for inflammation of the intestine.
