Anal fissures are cracks in the lining of your anus. Anal fissure is most often caused by passing very hard or watery stools. An anal fissure is very painful because exposed muscles become irritated from exposure to stool or air. This leads to intense burning pain, bleeding, or spasms after bowel movements.

There are several types of colitis, which cause bowel inflammation. These include:

• Crohn’s disease
• Infectious colitis
• Ischemic colitis
• Radiation colitis
• Ulcerative colitis

Colitis can cause abdominal cramps, diarrhea, rectal bleeding, and bowel urgency.

Colon cancer is the third most common cause of cancer death in the United States. Men and women are both at risk of developing colon cancer. Most cases of colon cancer begin as a small benign growth in the colon called a colon polyp. With routine colon cancer screening (colonoscopy), colon polyps and colon cancer can be found and treated. Cancer develops when these polyps grow and abnormal cells develop and start to invade surrounding tissue.

Most cases of colon cancer are preventable with routine screening and colon polyp removal.

Colon cancer risk factors include:

• Age greater than 45
• Family history of colon cancer
• Family history of colon polyps

For more information, please visit www.screen4coloncancer.org.

Constipation makes it hard for you to have a bowel movement or causes infrequent (less than three times a week) or incomplete bowel movements. If left untreated, constipation can cause anal problems such as fissures or hemorrhoids.

Diverticulosis is a gastrointestinal condition in which small outpouchings (diverticula) form in the muscular wall of your large intestine and weakened areas of the bowel. Diverticulosis can sometimes develop into diverticulitis (infection or inflammation in the pouches).

Hemorrhoids are dilated veins in your anal canal that are caused by chronic excess pressure from straining during a bowel movement, persistent diarrhea, or pregnancy.

Irritable Bowel Syndrome (also called spastic colon, irritable colon, IBS, or nervous stomach) is a condition where your intestinal muscles contract more or less often than normal.

Symptoms of IBS include:

• Abdominal pain and cramps
• Bloating
• Change in bowel habits
• Constipation and/or diarrhea
• Excess gas