People who have a lot of perianal hair follicles are more prone to perianal abscesses. For patients who have recurrent anal abscesses, after excluding hygiene issues, we will need to exclude the underlying unresolved conditions. These can include an underlying sinus tract. It is a channel that connects the lumen of the anus or rectum to the abscess.
The other possibility is that there remains a deeper abscess collection which has not been treated. We must also exclude chronic infective or inflammatory conditions such as chronic tuberculosis or inflammatory bowel disease.
A history of repeated trauma may also increase the risk.
