DID YOU KNOW…
Hemorrhoids are one of the most common ailments known.
More than half of the people will develop hemorrhoids after the age of 30.
Millions of Americans have hemorrhoids and many of them suffer in silence of a long time.
Today’s treatments are much less painful.
WHAT ARE HEMORRHOIDS?
Hemorrhoids are veins in the rectum and anus that engorge with blood and dilate.
External hemorrhoids are on the outside, near the anal opening. They can clot (thrombose) and be a very painful lump.
Internal hemorrhoids develop on the inside of the rectum and can cause itching, discomfort, and bleeding. If they get big enough, internal hemorrhoids can ‘prolapse’ out of the anal opening and be painful until pushed back in.
WHAT CAUSES HEMORRHOIDS?
The exact cause is unknown, but many factors can contribute. Constipation, aging, pregnancy, heredity, straining, spending long periods of times on the toilet.
What ever the cause, the tissues that support the veins get stretched. The vessels then dilate, the walls become thin, then bleeding occurs.
WHAT ARE THE SYMPTOMS?
Bleeding during bowel movements.
Protrusion during bowel movements.
Itching in the anal area.
Pain.
Tender Lumps.
HOW ARE HEMORRHOIDS TREATED?
With mild symptoms, increasing fiber and soaking in a warm tub can bring relief.
For a thrombosed external hemorrhoid, removal of the blood clot with a minor procedure brings relief quickly.
Internal hemorrhoids: the smaller hemorrhoids are treated painlessly in the office. Either with rubber band ligation or infrared coagulation (laser like). These are minor procedures done in the office. The patient resumes normal activity immediately.
When internal hemorrhoids become too large, then surgery is needed. New techniques allow a much less painful postoperative period. A stapler reduces pain from 2 weeks to 1, while using intraoperative doppler to ligate specific blood vessels reduce pain to only a few days.
DO HEMORRHOIDS LEAD TO CANCER?
No, but some of the symptoms are the same (bleeding). Having diagnosed hemorrhoids does not mean there is no cancer. Evaluation by a colon and rectal surgeon is advisable.