Tenesmus is the condition of urgency for passing stools. The affected person will have the urge to pass stools even his bowels are empty. Tenusmus is associated with cramps or pain and can cause strain due to bowel movement. This problem can be temporary or continuous accompanied by constipation. It is a type of inflammatory disorder of the bowel movement. Tenesmus is often caused by infection or inflammatory disorder. Sometimes it can occur as side effect of certain diseases. A person infected with tenesmus will push hard or strain himself to empty his bladder though he passes little stool.
Symptoms :
Some of the symptoms related to tenesmus are blood discharge in stools, cramps or abdominal pain, strain for pushing out the stool. In rare cases, it can cause fever and chills.
Causes :
It is caused by infection of bladder or due to inflammatory disorder of colon or rectum. For some people it is caused due to Crohn’s disease or due to anorectal abscess or cyst in the rectum. There may be feeling of passing stool if the colon gets infected. Sometimes motility disorders can cause this problem. The condition of endometriosis can cause tenesmus. People having constipation should consult their doctor and include lot of fiber content in their diet.
Tests :
Your doctor will do routine rectal examination and/or stool analysis to rule out any infection. He would look for the symptoms of inflammatory bowel disease like loss of weight and bleeding while passing stool.
Abdominal examination is done followed by proctoscopy for checking the rectum. It will reveal the presence of any cyst or polyp inside the rectum or will show any inflammation. Colonoscopy or sigmoidoscopy is performed if necessary. Abdominal X-ray is taken for studying its condition. He would request for complete blood culture.
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Treatment :
By drinking plenty of water/fluids and by including dietary fiber in your diet you can avoid mild to moderate tenesmus. Taking lactulose syrup is effective for elderly person for reducing constipation. You need to take treatment for this problem without delay, since it will lead into infection or inflammation of the rectum if not attended in time. In case of malignant tumor in the rectum, radiotherapy is done. Laparoscopic treatment is effective for endometriosis problem. Sometimes surgical intervention is necessary for repairing the colon or rectum. In case of piles your doctor will make a incision to evacuate the thrombosed piles.
For managing ulcerative colitis topical creams that contain aminosalicylate are prescribed. Topical steroids are effective in reducing inflammation and pain in the rectal area. In rare cases, if topical treatments are not responsive for colitis surgery is done. Tenesmus can be indicative of advanced stage of colorectal cancer. Morphine is injected or methadone is given for treating constipation. Lumbar sympathectomy is performed if the medications and topical treatments are not effective.