Few Things You Never Knew About Hemorrhoids

Hemorrhoids, also known as the pile, are a health condition whereby inflamed and irritated tissues get accumulated in the anus. These tissues include blood vessels, elastic fibers, and support muscles. Pile occurs when accumulated tissues become swollen and inflamed. They swell within and outside the anus. The sizes of piles vary and can be painful when you are about to pass excreta. Sometimes, piles result from constipation, pregnancy, stress on the anus when passing excreta, lifting of heavy things, or severe diarrhea.

Piles can be diagnosed after cross-examination by doctors, but the major symptom of the pile is the shooting out of swollen tissues from the anus. Hemorrhoids can be grouped into stages 1 – 5, with stage 5 being so severe that surgery may be required to take it out.

External piles are the most common and most painful kind of pile. They cause severe itching, difficulty passing stool, difficulty sitting, and extreme pain. The good news about hemorrhoids is they can be treated. Treatment measures have been identified to ease both the symptoms and treat the pile. The treatment improves its sufferers’ quality of life. In order to better grasp the concept of piles, how to manage them when you suffer from one, as well as how to prevent them, read this article, as everything you need to know about the symptoms, causes, treatment, and prevention of piles have been elaborated in this article.

Types

The different types of hemorrhoids can be divided into 4 categories which include;

External Hemorrhoids

This occurs when swollen tissues and veins begin to pop out of the anus and is usually extremely painful and cause severe discomfort. They come in the form of lumps after they must have developed from invisible to obvious and sometimes form blood clots.

Internal Hemorrhoids

Internal hemorrhoids form inside the rectum and cannot be seen with the eyes. Sometimes, internal hemorrhoids may not be painful. However, slight pain with bloodstains begins to surface when passing stool.

Thrombosed Hemorrhoids

This kind of hemorrhoids easily gets complicated. They occur when the blood supply is low to the hemorrhoid tissues. It requires urgent medical attention.

Degrees of Piles

• First degree, it exists only within the anus and can cause bleeding through the anus.
• Second degree; it comes out and goes back in by itself after stooling. It is usually bigger and more severe than the first degree.
• Third-degree; this one comes out during bowel movement and does not go back inside by itself except you push or force it in. as a victim of the pile, this degree of the pile can make you feel them hanging from the anus. Though they can easily be inserted after stooling.
• Fourth degree; this is the most severe version of the pile. Here, it does not go in by itself or easily goes back in when you try pushing it back inside. It swells easily and can result in extreme pains, especially when blood begins to clot inside the swollen lump.

Symptoms

Some of the symptoms of piles include;

• Feelings of constipation
• Bleeding through the anus during a bowel movement.
• Obvious growth of lumps outside the anus. These lumps can be hard and begin to form blood clots within them.
• Feeling of a still-full bowel even after passing stool.
• Discharge or mucus from the anus during bowel movement
• Sore anus skin
• Itchy anus skin
• Pain and discomfort during bowel movement

The severe symptoms of pile include the following;

• Lack of control over bowel movement
• Anal fistula, which is usually dangerous. It occurs when a channel is created between the outer anus skin and the inner anus skin.
• Excessive bleeding through the anus, which can lead to anemia
• Infection of the popped-out skin or tissues covering the anus
• Reduced blood supply to the lump can cause severe infection and blood clots.

Causes and Risk Factors of Hemorrhoids

The major cause of hemorrhoids is the exertion of excess pressure on the veins and tissues around the anus. The other known causes of pile include;

• Excessive push-out force during bowel movement
• Family history of pile
• Complicated constipation
• Complicated diarrhea
• Sedentary lifestyle
• Poor diet
• Sitting for a long time on a toilet seat.
• Stress

Risk Factors

• One major risk factor of hemorrhoids is genetics. It is possible that you will suffer from hemorrhoids if your parents are constant sufferers of it.
• Also, consistent and constant lifting of heavyweights can place excess pressure on the veins and tissues around the anus and increase your risks of developing hemorrhoids.
• Forceful straining of the anus when passing stool can also put pressure on the anus veins and tissues. This excess straining could be a result of diarrhea or constipation.
• Anal sex can also be a risk factor for hemorrhoids.
• Pregnancy can also increase your risks of suffering from hemorrhoids. This is because, as much as your uterus enlarges as a result of the growth of the fetus, the pressure is exerted on the anus veins such that the colon begins to bulge.

Treatment

The good news about hemorrhoids is, as painful as it is, it is treatable. Although, sometimes, pile issues get resolved on their own with time without any medical or treatment method. During this self-healing process, some treatments can be adopted to help ease the pain and itching it causes. While some kinds of piles do not need treatment, others do. The following are treatment methods that can help remedy pile issues;

Lifestyle Changes

Some lifestyle changes like diet and body weight management can be adopted as a treatment for certain piles. Some diets can make stooling soft and easy, thereby preventing excessive straining during a bowel movement. Adding vegetables and fruits to your nutrition can make your stool soft and easy to pass and also reduce the pressure placed on your anus veins when passing stool. Increasing your water intake can also do the magic of softening your stool and preventing pressure on your anus veins.

In addition, engaging in weight loss activities can help reduce the severity of hemorrhoids. Exercising is one of the most valid treatments for piles, according to professional medical practitioners.

Medications

Some medications that help relieve symptoms are available in pharmacies and drug stores. Some of these medications are over-the-counter ones, while the others can be prescribed by Doctors. Some over-the-counter medications that can manage piles include pain killers, anti-itching ointments and creams, and pads that can help reduce the redness and soreness of the vagina.  These over-the-counter medications do not cure piles. They only ease symptoms pending the time the pile heals up on its own. Seek medical advice before using any over-the-counter medication for your pile.

Also, drugs like corticosteroids can help eliminate redness, inflammation, and pain. In addition, laxatives can be prescribed by the Doctor to help make the stool of people with constipation softer and easier to pass in order to prevent pressure on the anus veins and tissues during a bowel movement.

Surgery

Surgery for the pile is usually not common. About 1 out of 10 pile sufferers would have to undergo surgery. The surgical processes include;

• Banding; a process whereby a band is placed around the pile tissue in order to stop blood from flowing into it. After few days, the pile tissue falls off on its own.
• Sclerotherapy; is a process that involves the injection of the lump tissues to shrink them.
• Infrared coagulation; here, the hemorrhoid tissue is burnt through medical processes.
• Hemorrhoid stapling; involves the blockage of blood supply to the pile tissue.

Home Remedies

Adopt one of the following if you are experiencing hemorrhoids.

• Take warm baths and sit in warm water to help ease inflammation and swelling. You can add ingredients like Epsom salt or apple cider vinegar to the warm water to increase the healing strength.
• Rub witch hazel on the lump. It helps shrink the pile tissues.
• Administer coconut oil repeatedly on the affected area as it can help reduce irritation and inflammation.
• Aloe vera gel can also help reduce symptoms and pains associated with hemorrhoids.
• You can also wrap ice packs in a soft cloth and place them on your anus. It cools down your anus and reduces the pain caused by inflammation.

Prevention

• Always drink enough water.
• Incorporate fiber-rich foods into your diet
• Wear comfortable underwears and not tight ones that could harm your anus skin
• Adopt good personal and bathroom hygiene. Do not sit on the toilet seat for so long.
• Avoid sugary foods
• Avoid straining

In conclusion, hemorrhoids and piles mean the same thing and can be used interchangeably. They occur when force is placed on the anus tissues as a result of one factor or the other, leading to the inflammation and swelling of the rectal, colon, and anus tissues.