Anal Abscess (cont.)

Medical Author:

Charles Patrick Davis, MD, PhD

Dr. Charles "Pat" Davis, MD, PhD, is a board certified Emergency Medicine doctor who currently practices as a consultant and staff member for hospitals. He has a PhD in Microbiology (UT at Austin), and the MD (Univ. Texas Medical Branch, Galveston). He is a Clinical Professor (retired) in the Division of Emergency Medicine, UT Health Science Center at San Antonio, and has been the Chief of Emergency Medicine at UT Medical Branch and at UTHSCSA with over 250 publications.

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Medical Editor:

Melissa Conrad Stöppler, MD, Chief Medical Editor

Melissa Conrad Stöppler, MD, is a U.S. board-certified Anatomic Pathologist with subspecialty training in the fields of Experimental and Molecular Pathology. Dr. Stöppler's educational background includes a BA with Highest Distinction from the University of Virginia and an MD from the University of North Carolina. She completed residency training in Anatomic Pathology at Georgetown University followed by subspecialty fellowship training in molecular diagnostics and experimental pathology.

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Anal Abscess Diagnosis

The health care practitioner will ask questions about the patient's condition. Give the health care practitioner all necessary information. Discussing the details may be embarrassing, but health care practitioners and other medical personnel are required to maintain confidentiality. Honest responses to the health care practitioner's questions will help provide the patient faster appropriate care.

The health care practitioner will then examine the patient and should explain the parts of the exam may be uncomfortable and will be careful to protect the patient's modesty.

The health care practitioner should provide clear answers to any questions the patient asks; they should understand the treatment plan.

Sometimes the diagnosis is obvious, and no tests are needed. At other times, blood and urine tests and special imaging tests such as X-ray, CT scan, MRI, and ultrasound may be needed. The health care practitioner may also consult other specialists to confirm the diagnosis or to come up with the best treatment plan.

acetaminophen (Tylenol and others), may help control the pain and fever.

If the abscess opens by itself there will be a release of pus, and possibly some relief of pain and fever. Regardless, the abscess are still should be examined by a health care practitioner.

Even if the symptoms improve with home care, the affected individual should seek medical attention. Abscesses need to be evaluated and treated by a health care practitioner. They rarely resolve on their own. Many people need further special treatment, especially with perirectal abscesses, to avoid complications or a return of the abscess.

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Glossary
Anal Abscess Topic Guide

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