The First Signs Of Hemorrhoids: 5 Alarming Symptoms In Women And Men

2024 Author: Josephine Shorter | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-01-07 17:49

5 alarming symptoms of hemorrhoids

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 at the later stages, when it is already difficult to do without surgery.

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 this disease.

Content:

• Briefly about the causes of the disease
• 5 alarming symptoms of hemorrhoids
• Stages of the pathological process
• Why are hemorrhoids dangerous?
• How is the diagnosis carried out?
• How is the treatment going?
• Conclusion

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 malfunctioning of the venous valves. As a result, venous blood stagnates in the hemorrhoidal veins located around the anus. The walls of the vessels are deformed and bulging.

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:

• Heredity. One of the causes of this disease is the corresponding heredity. If your relatives suffer from this disease, then the likelihood of hemorrhoids in you 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 deformation of the venous walls and an increase in nodes. Frequent diarrhea causes damage to the cavernous formations.
• Physical inactivity and sedentary work. A sedentary lifestyle leads to stagnation. With prolonged sitting in the pelvic region, blood stagnation forms, which leads to an increase and protrusion of hemorrhoids. People of sedentary professions need to be careful about their health.
• Lifting weights. Heavy physical work contributes to the development of hemorrhoids. And also fans of power sports are at risk, since heavy physical exertion increases the pressure on the abdominal cavity.
• Unbalanced diet. Abuse of salty, smoked, spicy foods contributes to the development of hemorrhoids, since these products irritate the intestinal mucosa. And also do not abuse strong tea, coffee, alcoholic beverages.
• Inflammatory diseases of the pelvic region. Inflammation can affect the rectal mucosa 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 human hormones. As a result, there are inflammatory problems in the intestines, constipation and other problems.
• Childbirth as a cause of hemorrhoids. Pregnant women should be singled out as a separate risk category. In pregnant women, blood circulation changes, as the body now supplies blood to two. The enlarging uterus puts pressure on the large veins in the pelvic region. All this can lead to the appearance and increase of hemorrhoids.

5 alarming symptoms of hemorrhoids

When this disease occurs, it is very important to identify it in the early stages. This can be done for a number of specific symptoms. The main one is considered to be bleeding from the anus.

1. Bleeding (more) - most often occurs with the internal arrangement of hemorrhoidal cones. Bleeding occurs due to trauma to the surface of the hemorrhoidal veins with solid feces. The risk of profuse bleeding in this disease is minimal, however, in especially advanced cases, there may be anemia, general weakness, pallor of the skin, fainting, and so on. However, bleeding is typical for other pathologies of the rectum, therefore, only a proctologist can make an accurate diagnosis as a result of an examination.
2. Pain in the anus - these symptoms of hemorrhoids are especially aggravated by bowel movements. With advanced hemorrhoids, the patient experiences especially severe pain. They are characteristic of the acute stage of the course of the disease. If the disease is chronic, then pain can be expressed rather weakly.
3. Discomfort in the rectum. A person may experience a feeling of discomfort and heaviness, as well as incomplete bowel movement. The fact is that hypertrophied veins protrude into the rectal canal. In addition, edema can cause such sensations.
4. 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 injuries.
5. Constipation (more) - most often occurs already in the advanced stages of the disease. The bumps cause the rectal canal to narrow, resulting in problems with defecation. For this reason, many patients are afraid to go to the toilet because of the pain. They deliberately endure the urge, which only leads to a worsening of the situation. In turn, constipation only aggravates the situation, as hard feces cause injuries to hemorrhoids. The pressure that occurs during bowel movements also leads to an increase in venous pressure.

Other symptoms of hemorrhoids can be distinguished, including a burning sensation in the rectum, a feeling of incomplete emptying of it, oozing of the skin in the anus.

Video: doctor - Aleksey Aleksandrovich Tyumin, chief physician, surgeon, phlebologist, coloproctologist, more than 19 years of experience, talks about all the intricacies of the disease:

In each case, the disease proceeds individually. Symptoms vary in intensity for different people. The sooner you notice the first signs of hemorrhoids and see a specialist, the easier and faster the treatment will be. Unfortunately, many patients do not pay attention to the initial symptoms and seek help already in the late stages of the disease.

Stages of the pathological process

Hemorrhoids have several stages of development, and each one shows certain symptoms. The rate of transition from one stage to another is influenced by various factors and concomitant diseases.

1. First stage. There are practically no symptoms on it. Cavernous formations and nodes do not protrude, therefore bleeding and discomfort do not bother the patient.
2. Second stage. She is already characterized by pain and bleeding. Hemorrhoids can protrude outside the anus, however, the muscles are able to return them to their place on their own.
3. Stage Three. At the third stage, they come out during physical exertion or defecation, the patient has to return them back on his own. At this stage, the severity of all symptoms increases.
4. Fourth stage. It is characterized by irreversible changes in muscle tissue; it is no longer possible to return the nodes to their place. Numerous complications can arise at this stage. Treatment requires surgery.

Timely diagnosis will help stop the disease at an early stage. At later stages, treatment requires surgery.

Why are hemorrhoids dangerous?

This disease is not dangerous for the patient's life, however, it can cause significant discomfort. Danger can also be caused by its various complications. If you do not treat this ailment, then the following problems may await you.

• Thrombosis. Congestion in the veins leads to the formation of blood clots, which can block blood flow. In this situation, the nodule turns blue and grows, thrombosis is accompanied by poor health.
• Massive bleeding. In the last stages, patients lose a lot of blood. They can cause dizziness, weakness, anemia, and so on. In the most severe cases, there is a risk of severe blood loss.
• Infringement of cavernous formations. Due to the increased muscle tone, sometimes the nodules that have come out cannot be returned back. In this case, their infringement occurs, which is dangerous with bleeding, pain symptom and tissue necrosis.
• Pararectal abscess. If tissue is damaged, infection can enter the wound. In this situation, inflammatory processes can also capture neighboring areas. A person's temperature rises, itching, nausea, and vomiting appear.

Such complications require immediate medical attention, since they pose a serious danger to the patient's health.

How is the diagnosis carried out?

Only a proctologist can make a correct diagnosis. For this, a number of special diagnostic measures are prescribed, on the basis of which the specialist draws conclusions about the presence of complications and concomitant pathologies.

During the examination, the patient takes a knee-elbow position. The specialist examines the area around the anus and draws appropriate conclusions about the stage of the disease and the presence of complications. After an external examination, the rectal canal is palpated. The doctor checks the condition of the muscles, determines the level of their tension, and also looks at the density of the hemorrhoidal structures.

To obtain more accurate data, anoscopy is prescribed. The condition of the rectal canal is examined using a rectal speculum. Sigmoidoscopy allows a deeper study of the state of the intestine. Irrigoscopy and colonoscopy makes it possible to exclude the presence of other proctological diseases.

In addition, a number of laboratory tests are carried out. A complete blood count can detect the presence of inflammation. The coprogram makes it possible to detect the presence of blood and mucus in the stool.

How is the treatment going?

The choice of treatment methods depends on the stage of the disease, the presence of complications and concomitant pathologies. For each patient, the appropriate treatment methods are selected individually.

The main methods of treatment:

• Drug treatment - both local preparations (suppositories or ointments) and tablet medicines are used.
• Minimally invasive techniques - they involve surgical operations that are distinguished by minimal intervention, they are used in the second and third stages of the disease.
• Radical surgery - involves the removal of hemorrhoids, is prescribed at the last stage of the disease (how is the operation going?).

Conservative therapy

Conservative treatment includes 2 important aspects:

1. Stool normalization. Intestinal contents should be evacuated regularly. Soft and shaped stools without delay are considered normal. For this, it is recommended to include foods rich in dietary fiber in the diet. Wheat bran has a good effect. You need to start with a volume of 5-10 g, gradually bringing it up to 20 g. To avoid discomfort, the dose is increased gradually over a period of 14-21 days.
2. Relief from constipation. The administration of Lactulose is shown in an amount of 30-40 ml per day. The therapy is continued until the stool becomes soft.

Among the medicines, local remedies are primarily used:

• Suppositories Anusol, Anestezol, Proctosedil, Natalsid, Ichthyol, Proctoglyvenol, Ultraproct (suppositories and ointment). These drugs are used to relieve pain.
• Candles and ointment Relief, Gepatrombin-G, Gepazolone. They are used only when the nodes do not bleed.
• To reduce pain, you can use cold lotions, which are set for 30 seconds.

To enhance the effect of local therapy, you can use drugs for oral administration. They improve venous tone, prevent the formation of blood clots:

• Detralex. To obtain the result, the drug must be taken within 60-90 days. Patients with chronic hemorrhoids are prescribed 1 tablet 2 times a day for a week. Then they begin to take 2 tablets 1 time per day with meals. Patients with acute hemorrhoids are prescribed 2 tablets 3 times a day for 4 days, after which they drink 2 tablets 2 times a day for another 3 days, and then continue the course of 1 tablet 2 times a day.
• Phlebodia. The first week they drink 1 tablet 2 times a day, after which they take 1 tablet 1 time a day for 30-60 days.

• Troxevasin

In the early stages, drug treatment is sufficient. External drugs prescribed by a specialist have a complex effect, and with strict adherence to all medical prescriptions, it will be possible to avoid not only relapse, but also operations in the future.

Minimally invasive techniques

If drug therapy is not enough, then the specialist resorts to non-surgical methods of removing cavernous formations.

Among them are the following:

• Desarterization (Hal-Rar method).
• Infrared photocoagulation.
• Laser submucous coagulation.
• Cryodestruction.
• Ligation with latex rings.
• Sclerotherapy.

In the later stages, hemorrhoidectomy can solve the problem. It is a classic procedure for removing cavernous formations. It can be performed using a scalpel, laser or electrocoagulator. The node is removed with part of the mucous membrane, the wound can either remain open or sutured for speedy healing.

Sometimes hemorrhoidopexy is used, in contrast to the classical procedure, it has a shorter recovery period. In this situation, the knot is not cut out, but only pulled up.

Conclusion

Hemorrhoids are characterized by various unpleasant symptoms. This disease requires compulsory treatment, otherwise, during the transition to later stages, complications may develop. To make an accurate diagnosis and determine the treatment, you need to contact a specialist.

The first symptoms of hemorrhoidal disease are mild, so it is not always possible to notice them on your own. Even with the slightest discomfort, it is necessary to contact a specialist who will conduct an examination and make a diagnosis.

And finally, watch the video in which the coloproctologist Nikolai Semyonov talks about the main symptoms of hemorrhoids:

The author of the article: Volkov Dmitry Sergeevich | c. m. n. surgeon, phlebologist

Education: Moscow State University of Medicine and Dentistry (1996). In 2003 he received a diploma from the Educational and Scientific Medical Center of the Presidential Administration of the Russian Federation.