What are Hemorrhoids?

Hemorrhoids are veins in the lower rectum or anus that have become stretched and weakened by many factors such as prolonged periods of sitting, straining during bowel movements, over-exertion particularly when lifting heavy weights and during child birth.

When the hemorrhoid is situated within the rectum it is termed an "internal" hemorrhoid, and when situated on the anus, they are termed external hemmerhoids. Hemorrhoids are painful when they become infected or when thrombosed - the blood that they contain has clotted and therefore blocked the vein.

Many people are alarmed when they see fresh blood in their stools, however this is probably due to the hemorrhoid becoming stretched during a bowel movement and therefore having a tendancy to bleed. Although this is a normal symptom of hemorrhoids, any rectal bleeding should be investigated by your doctor.

Hemorrhoids affect many people

Most Americans and Europeans will suffer from hemorrhoids at some point during their lives. In fact it has been estimated that four out of five Americans will suffer from this condition. You can take some comfort from the fact that if you are suffering from this painful condition, then you are by no means alone.

Causes of hemorrhoids

Some people have a disposition towards veins with weak walls and suffer from varicose veins and hemorrhoids as a result. Most other people suffering from hemorrhoids, can probably blame the American and western diets which are usually low in fiber resulting in less bulky and moist stools that require more effort to pass during a bowel movement. It is notable that the incidence of Hemorrhoids is far lower in Eastern cultures where there is much more natural dietary fiber than occurrs in the Western diet.

Symptoms of hemorrhoids

As stated above, hemorrhoids are often first noticed by the presence of fresh blood on the toilet paper or in the toilet bowl. This may be associated with pain in the anus or rectum during or directly after a bowel movement. External hemerroids may also be noticed by the presence of a small skin tag protuding from the anus or of a bulging vein type protusion around the anus.

Diagnosing Hemorrhoids

Any bleeding from the rectum should be investigated by a doctor, however it is generally strightforward to diagnose the presence of hemorrhoids by the appearance of the anus or, in the case of internal hemorrhoids, by using a proctoscope that is gently introduced into the rectum for an internal visual examination.

Hemorroid treatments >>