Symptoms:

Swelling around the anus and a constant, throbbing pain are the most common symptoms. Pain with bowel movements may be severe.

Other symptoms may include:

• Constipation
• Discharge of pus from the rectum
• Fatigue and general malaise
• Fever, night sweats, and chills
• Lump or nodule, swollen, red, tender at edge of anus
• Painful, hardened tissue

In infants, the abscess often appears as a swollen, red, tender lump at the edge of the anus. The infant may be fussy and irritable from discomfort, but there are generally no other symptoms.

Signs and tests:

A rectal examination may confirm that you have an anorectal abscess. A proctosigmoidoscopy may be done to rule out other diseases.

Rarely, you may need a CT scan, MRI, or ultrasound to determine where the pus collection is located.