One of the most common diseases in the world is hemorrhoids. It affects people of both sexes and all ages, however, it is the representatives of the stronger sex that are most prone to its appearance. In Russia, about 11–12% of people are victims of this disease.
The first symptoms of hemorrhoids in most cases go unnoticed, the person does not pay attention to them. But also, many people are simply embarrassed to seek help from a specialist. All this leads to the fact that in most cases the diagnosis of the disease is carried out already in the later stages, when it is already difficult to do without surgical intervention.
A person should know the first signs of hemorrhoids in order to notice them in time and seek help from a doctor. There are various reasons for the appearance of this disease.
Briefly about the causes of the disease
The main cause of this disease is venous insufficiency. It leads to weakness of the vascular walls and malfunction of the venous valves. As a result of this, venous blood stagnates in the hemorrhoidal veins located around the anus. The walls of the vessels are deformed and protrude.
Hemorrhoidal vessels differ from venous tubules in that they have special connecting structures – arteriovenous anastomoses, and they explain the appearance of light blood on toilet paper instead of dark venous blood.
Various factors can provoke the development of hemorrhoids. The following reasons for its occurrence can be distinguished:
Наследственность. One of the causes of this disease is the corresponding heredity. If your relatives suffer from this disease, then the likelihood of hemorrhoids also increases.
Regular irritation of the anal canal. Such irritations include frequent enemas, regular use of laxatives, non-standard sexual relations, and so on.
Constipation and diarrhea. These digestive disorders also negatively affect your health. Increased pressure during bowel movements contributes to the deformation of the venous walls and the increase in nodes. Frequent diarrhea causes damage to the cavernous formations.
Hypodynamia and sedentary work. A sedentary lifestyle leads to congestion. With prolonged sitting in the pelvic region, stagnation of blood is formed, which leads to an increase and protrusion of hemorrhoids. People in sedentary professions need to pay special attention to their health.
Weight lifting. Hard physical work contributes to the development of hemorrhoids. And also lovers of power sports fall into the risk group, since heavy physical exertion increases pressure on the abdominal cavity.
An unbalanced diet. Abuse of salty, smoked, spicy foods contributes to the development of hemorrhoids, as these foods irritate the intestinal mucosa. And also do not abuse strong tea, coffee, alcoholic beverages.
Inflammatory diseases of the pelvic organs. Inflammation can affect the mucosa of the rectal canal and cause the development of hemorrhoids.
Stress. Another reason for the frequent occurrence of this pathology is frequent stress. They have a negative effect on the hormonal background of a person. As a result, inflammatory problems in the intestines, constipation and other problems arise.
Childbirth as the cause of hemorrhoids. Pregnant women should be identified as a separate risk category. In pregnant women, circulation changes as the body now supplies blood to two. The enlarging uterus puts pressure on the large veins in the pelvis. All this can lead to the appearance and enlargement of hemorrhoids.
5 warning signs of hemorrhoids
When this disease occurs, it is very important to identify it in the early stages. This can be done by a number of specific symptoms. The main of them is considered to be bleeding from the anus.
Bleeding (more) – most often occurs with the internal location of hemorrhoidal cones. Bleeding occurs due to trauma to the surface of the hemorrhoidal veins with hard feces. The risk of profuse bleeding in this disease is minimal, however, in especially advanced cases, anemia, general weakness, pallor of the skin, fainting, and so on can be observed. However, bleeding is also characteristic of other pathologies of the rectum, therefore, only a proctologist can make an accurate diagnosis as a result of the examination.
Pain in the anus – such symptoms of hemorrhoids are especially aggravated by defecation. With advanced hemorrhoids, the patient experiences particularly severe pain. They are characteristic of the acute stage of the course of the disease. If the disease proceeds in a chronic form, then pain can be expressed quite weakly.
Discomfort in the rectum. A person may experience a feeling of discomfort and heaviness, as well as incomplete emptying of the intestine. The fact is that hypertrophied veins protrude into the rectal canal. In addition, such sensations can be caused by edema.
Itching in the anus (more) – refers to one of the first signs of hemorrhoids. Itching can be both in the early stages, when the bumps are just starting to grow, and in the later stages. This symptom can be caused by various mucosal lesions.
Constipation (more) – most often occurs already in the advanced stages of the disease. The bumps cause narrowing of the rectal canal, resulting in problems with bowel movements. For this reason, many patients are afraid to go to the toilet because of the pain. They deliberately tolerate urges, which only leads to a worsening of the situation. In turn, constipation only exacerbates the situation, as hard feces cause injury to the hemorrhoidal cones. The pressure that occurs during bowel movements also leads to an increase in venous pressure.
Other symptoms of hemorrhoids can be distinguished, including burning in the rectum, a feeling of incomplete emptying of it, wetting of the skin in the anus.
Video: doctor – Tyumin Alexey Alexandrovich, chief physician, surgeon, phlebologist, coloproctologist, more than 19 years of experience, talks about all the intricacies of the disease: