Hemorrhoids, also called piles, are swollen veins which are located in your anus or in the lower rectum. Hemorrhoids can be caused due to a number of factors, however, the exact reason may not be entirely known. They can be caused as a result of straining heavy during bowel movements or due to increased pressure on the veins in the anus or the lower rectum during pregnancy. Hemorrhoids are mainly categorized into two types, internal and external. Internal hemorrhoids develop within the anus or rectum whereas External hemorrhoids develop under the skin around the anus.
Hemorrhoids are quite common among people. About 50% of the people worldwide are known to experience symptoms related to Hemorrhoids by the age of 50. External hemorrhoids are more common than internal hemorrhoids and also have more troublesome symptoms than the latter. Hemorrhoids cause pain, severe itching, and difficulty sitting. But due to so many medical advancements in different fields of medicine, fortunately, there are a number of options of Hemorrhoid treatment. Most people are believed to get relief from hemorrhoids symptoms only home treatments and lifestyle changes.
As already mentioned, the presence of swollen veins causes hemorrhoids. These swollen veins can develop in the anus due to increased pressure in the anus and the lower rectum due to the following factors.
Hemorrhoids are more likely to develop in patients as they age because the veins present in the anus and the lower rectum become weaken over time, making them susceptible to swelling due to increased pressure.
Signs and symptoms of hemorrhoids can range from mild to severe depending on the location of the swelling in the veins, i.e. external or internal. However, the most common symptoms of hemorrhoids are:
These hemorrhoids can't be seen or felt these hemorrhoids, but have symptoms like straining or irritation when passing stool, which may further cause bleeding.
Sometimes, straining hard enough pushes the internal hemorrhoid through the anal opening. This may result in known a prolapsed hemorrhoid which can cause symptoms like pain and irritation.
Particular symptoms include irritation, itching and bleeding.
Sometimes, there may be blood aggregation in an external hemorrhoid which can lead to clot formation (also called thrombus) which can have symptoms like severe pain, swelling, inflammation and a hard lump near your anus.
Although hemorrhoid symptoms are not life-threatening, but they can be painful. Therefore, Hemorrhoid treatment is necessary and must be opted to curb the symptoms.
You may see blood on the toilet paper, in the feces, or the bowl of the toilet if you do have signs of hemorrhoids. These are the symptoms of bleeding from the rectal area. Some of the following are symptoms of external hemorrhoids:
Hemorrhoids that have prolapsed may be quite painful and unpleasant. You may be able to experience them protruding outside the anus, at which point you may gently press them back within.
An external hemorrhoid is recognized by the presence of bumps or lumps close to the outside of the anus and have the potential to become exceedingly large, itchy, and painful. Because they're covered in skin, external hemorrhoids contain nerves, so you may experience discomfort, itching, and burning when you have one of these.
Even though internal hemorrhoids aren't visible, they may cause painless, unnoticeable bleeding in the rectal area. When you have a bowel movement, you can also experience some itching, discomfort, soreness, or even a discharge of blood.
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There are very rare complications of hemorrhoids but can conclude the following:
In very rare cases, bleeding from hemorrhoids may cause anemia, which can result in deficiency of red blood cells in the body responsible for carrying the oxygen.
If the blood circulation to the swollen veins, more specifically to an internal hemorrhoid is cut off, hemorrhoid may be "strangulated," which can cause extreme pain and formation of blood clots. Therefore, Hemorrhoid treatment may become life-saving.
Here are some of the hemorrhoids treatment options done without an anaesthetic.
Banding, also called rubber band ligation is done to treat internal hemorrhoids. The doctor ties a tight band around the base of the hemorrhoid to cut off its blood supply. This type of hemorrhoid treatment may require multiple procedures that are done every two months. Banding is not painful, but may put pressure, causing mild discomfort.
The Injection sclerotherapy for hemorrhoids involves injecting a chemical into the hemorrhoid. The chemical is responsible for shrinking the hemorrhoids to stop it from bleeding. This is an almost painless procedure. Injection sclerotherapy for hemorrhoids is known to have remarkable success rate for hemorrhoids which are small and internal.
Coagulation therapy, alternatively called infrared photocoagulation is a type of hemorrhoid treatment which uses infrared light, heat, or extreme cold in order to shrink the hemorrhoid.
Hemorrhoidal artery ligation (HAL), locates the swollen blood veins that cause hemorrhoid using ultrasound, and then finally closes off those blood vessels.
There is no predetermined length of time that hemorrhoids will last. Within a few days, hemorrhoids that are not severe may heal on their own without needing therapy.
Large and external hemorrhoids might take longer to cure and cause a substantial amount of pain and suffering. In your best interest, seek medical attention to treat hemorrhoids if they do not improve within a few days.
Your doctor may recommend a treatment to reduce or eliminate the hemorrhoids if your symptoms persist for more than a few weeks. Many of these tasks may be completed in the comfort of your home or workplace.
You may notice one or more small, painful pimples on the skin around your anus. These are enormously dilated blood vessels that protrude from the skin. It is possible that blood may clot within the bulging blood artery (thrombosis). In certain situations, this might result in a hard lump that is quite painful. Several of the same variables may induce both external and internal hemorrhoids. A few examples include: lugging about a lot of weight.
The vast majority of external hemorrhoids is treated at home and disappears independently. Most of the time, unless they're really painful or incredibly big, they don't need medical attention. To alleviate hemorrhoid pain, you might utilize over-the-counter remedies. Hemorrhoids may be treated safely at home using the following methods:
Apply a cold compress to the skin. Allow 15 minutes between ice applications to hemorrhoid to prevent it from melting. This may have a substantial impact on reducing pain and inflammation.
Take a bath while sitting on a chair. Soak your bottom in a tub of warm water for a few minutes. Hemorrhoids may be soothed by filling a tiny tub intended to fit above your bathroom with a few inches of hot water and sitting in it several hours a day. Adding unscented Epsom salts is an option for some individuals.
You may need a surgical operation known as a hemorrhoidectomy to treat more severe cases of external hemorrhoids. This procedure removes external hemorrhoids using a laser, a scalpel, or a cautery instrument. Depending on the circumstances and your specific requirements, your doctor may provide a local anesthetic during this treatment.
A hemorrhoidectomy is a type of hemorrhoid surgery which is carried out to treat for large external hemorrhoids and internal hemorrhoids have been resistant to non surgical methods of hemorrhoid treatment. The surgeon injects general anesthesia to ensure a painless procedure. After the anesthesia puts you to sleep, your surgeon make incision near the anus or rectum area for hemorrhoid removal. After the hemorrhoid surgery, you will be made to stay in the hospital for a day or two before your doctor would discharge you. Pain and infection are the most common risks associated with this type of surgery.
Hemorrhoidopexy which is also called stapling, is a piles surgery is done to treat prolapsed (a slipping forward or down) hemorrhoids. A surgical staple is used to put in place the prolapsed hemorrhoid back into the your rectum and also shrinks the hemorrhoid, thereby cutting its blood supply. Stapling recovery takes relatively lesser time and is less painful than recovery than hemorrhoidectomy.