Anal fissures in COVID-19 survivors: Incidence, risk factors, and outcomes

Objective: In spite of COVID-19’s typical presentation in the form of fever, cough, myalgia, and pneumonia, other gastrointestinal manifestations have been reported. Among the COVID-19 survivors, anal fissure has been documented. The aim of this study was to report the incidence of anal fissure among those patients, its possible risk factors and outcome. Material and Methods: This is a retrospective cross-sectional study which was conducted on COVID-19 patients’ who were diagnosed with anal fissure. Those who survived and were discharged home safely were contacted to pick up whether they suffered from any symptoms suggesting anal fissure, to identify the risk factors of anal fissure and their outcomes. Results: A total of 176 COVID-19 patients were enrolled in this study. The incidence of anal fissure among all patients was 36.9%. Patients were categorized into two groups; fissure and non-fissure groups. No significant difference was noted in the demographic data apart from age, which was younger in the fissure group. The majority of anal fissures resolved spontaneously after patients recovered from the COVID-19 symptoms with no specific treatment (43.1%). Conclusion: Anal fissure is quite a common problem in COVID-19 patients. Young and middle-aged patients are more vulnerable to develop anal fissure after COVID-19 infection.