What to do if your baby has anal polyps

Infant anal polyps usually need to be treated under the guidance of a doctor. Common treatment methods include observation, drug therapy, and surgical intervention when necessary. At the same time, home care is particularly important to relieve symptoms and promote recovery.

1. Common causes of anal polyps in infants

Infant anal polyps are abnormal growths of tissue around the anus. The specific causes may include genetics, chronic constipation, repeated straining during bowel movements, etc.

-Genetic factors: Anal polyps in some infants and young children may be related to family inheritance. If parents have a history of similar diseases, they should pay special attention to their children's related symptoms.

-Constipation and bowel habits: Long-term constipation and frequent straining during bowel movements are the most common causes of anal polyps in infants. When the stool is hard, it will cause abrasion to the perianal tissues, inducing local inflammation and hyperplasia.

-Intestinal inflammation or infection: Intestinal inflammation or local infection can increase the probability of polyps, such as inflammatory bowel disease or bacterial infection leading to perianal vascular dilation and tissue irritation.

2. Treatment and management of anal polyps in infants

-Medication: For inflammatory anal polyps, your doctor may recommend the use of topical anti-inflammatory creams, such as hydrocortisone ointment or anti-infection ointment, to control local inflammation. At the same time, you also need to cooperate with drugs that improve intestinal health, such as probiotics or lactulose, to help regulate bowel movements.

-Observation and follow-up: If the polyp has no obvious symptoms and there is no risk of infection, doctors usually recommend regular observation of the polyp's development. Some small polyps may gradually heal themselves as they age.

-Surgical treatment: In severe cases, doctors may need to remove the polyps surgically. Common surgical methods include polypectomy or laser treatment. The surgery is mostly minimally invasive and will not affect the baby's normal anal function, but care should be taken to prevent wound infection after surgery.

3. Daily care advice

- Improve diet: Try to let babies enhance their intestinal function through breast milk, formula milk and complementary foods. For children who have already started eating complementary foods, you can add high-fiber foods (such as cooked and soft vegetables, bananas, etc.) and try to avoid overly processed foods.

-Prevent constipation: It is very important to keep the bowels open. Parents can increase water supply and supplement with moderate crawling and other light exercises to help stimulate intestinal peristalsis and avoid constipation from worsening the condition.

- Perianal cleaning and care: To avoid perianal infection, it is recommended to use warm water to clean the baby's perianal area every day. Under the doctor's advice, a small amount of medical moisturizer can be used to moisturize the perianal skin to avoid secondary irritation caused by dryness and cracking.

When an infant has anal polyps, parents do not need to panic, but they need to pay attention and take scientific treatment methods in combination with the doctor's advice. With reasonable treatment and care, most infants can recover. If the polyps grow larger or obvious symptoms appear, be sure to seek medical attention in time to obtain professional diagnosis and treatment to avoid delaying the disease.