Hemorrhoids (piles) or hemorrhoids are enlargements or swellings that occur in the anus or the lower part of the large intestine or rectum.
This condition is a health problem that can affect anyone but is more common in people aged 50 years and over.
Hemorrhoids can be internal or external. Internal hemorrhoids develop inside the anus or rectum.
Meanwhile, external hemorrhoids will develop outside the anus.
In general, hemorrhoids can cause pain, severe itching, and difficulty sitting.
The good news is that proper and early treatment can help the healing process to be more optimal.
Symptoms of Hemorrhoids
Symptoms of hemorrhoids will depend on the type of hemorrhoids that the sufferer experiences. This condition makes the symptoms of hemorrhoid sufferers vary.
So, what are the signs of severe hemorrhoids? Here are the symptoms of hemorrhoids that you need to pay attention to, namely:
1. Symptoms of external hemorrhoids
This type appears under the skin around the anus. Signs and symptoms include:
- Itching or irritation in the anal area.
- Feels sore or uncomfortable.
- Swelling around the anus.
- Bleeding.
2. Internal hemorrhoids
Internal hemorrhoids are located inside the rectum. You can’t see or feel them, and they rarely cause discomfort.
However, when straining or irritation occurs during defecation, hemorrhoids can cause the following symptoms:
Painless bleeding during a bowel movement. You may notice a small amount of blood on the toilet paper or in the toilet. This can cause pain and irritation.
Beware, Individuals with Hemorrhoids are Prone to Melena. Find out more.
3. Thrombosed hemorrhoids
If blood pools in external hemorrhoids and forms a clot (thrombus), it can result in:
- Severe pain or discomfort.
- Swelling.
- Inflammation.
- Hard lump near the anus.
If you don’t treat it immediately, the three types of hemorrhoids above can get worse.
Well, you need to be aware of the signs of hemorrhoids getting worse, such as the size of the lump getting bigger until it cannot go back into the anus.
Blood clots can also form hard lumps in the anus.
Hemorrhoid Risk Factors
There are several factors that increase the risk of developing hemorrhoids, including:
- Constipation or persistent constipation due to insufficient body fiber intake.
- Prolonged diarrhea.
- Experiencing obesity or being overweight.
- There is a history of hemorrhoids (piles).
- Sitting too often for long periods of time.
- Prolonged coughing and vomiting.
- Lifting heavy weights too often.
- Pregnant women, because during pregnancy, women are usually prone to constipation. However, hemorrhoids that occur due to pregnancy usually improve after giving birth.
- Increasing age will make the body’s supporting tissues weaker.
Causes of Hemorrhoids
The cause of hemorrhoids is not yet known for certain.
However, experts suspect that increased pressure on blood flow in the anus or surrounding area is one of the main triggers.
This is because the pressure that occurs will cause swelling in the blood vessels, causing inflammation.
Here are several factors that can increase pressure on the lower rectum:
- Straining too hard during a bowel movement.
- Sitting too long on the toilet.
- Experiencing chronic diarrhea or constipation.
- Too fat.
- Is pregnant.
- Having anal sex.
- Eating low-fiber foods.
- Lifting heavy weights too often.
Hemorrhoid Diagnosis
To diagnose this condition, the doctor examines the sufferer’s symptoms and medical history. Furthermore, the doctor can perform supporting examinations such as:
- Digital rectal examination (DRE) , to determine the condition of the rectum for lumps or other abnormalities.
- Endoscopy, to look at the rectum and anal canal, using a special instrument such as a tube equipped with a camera. This procedure may be a proctoscopy, sigmoidoscopy, or anoscopy, depending on how far the instrument is inserted.
- Sigmoidoscopy. Your doctor may also perform a sigmoidoscopy, which uses a lighted tube with a camera to look inside the lower (sigmoid) part of the colon and rectum. Types of this procedure include flexible sigmoidoscopy and rigid sigmoidoscopy (proctoscopy).
- Through this examination, the doctor can see the condition of the anal canal and muscles that are contracting or relaxing more clearly. In addition, the examination procedure can also involve taking tissue samples or biopsies.
What is a good medicine for hemorrhoids?
Hemorrhoids usually disappear without treatment within a few days. However, sufferers still need treatment such as taking hemorrhoid medication.
The goal is to help reduce discomfort and prevent hemorrhoids from coming back.
Once treated, mild hemorrhoids usually go down in less than a week. In moderate to severe cases it can take longer.
So, here are some treatment methods to overcome hemorrhoids:
- Anemia. Bleeding from hemorrhoids can cause anemia.
- Strangulated hemorrhoids. If the blood supply to an internal hemorrhoid is cut off, the hemorrhoid may become “strangulated,” which can cause pain.
- Blood clots. Sometimes, blood clots can form in hemorrhoids, which can be very painful and need to be treated immediately. Meanwhile, regardless of the cause, blood clots in general can be dangerous to your health. Learn more about the dangers in the following article These Are the Dangers of Blood Clots for Health.
- Skin tags. The appearance of skin tags or excess skin marks when external hemorrhoids disappear can also be a complication of this condition.
1. Use of over-the-counter hemorrhoid medications
You can buy over-the-counter hemorrhoid medications and do the treatment at home. Here are some hemorrhoid medications that you can take:
- Borobudur hemorrhoids. Borobudur hemorrhoids is a herbal hemorrhoid medicine that can relieve hemorrhoid symptoms. You can get it directly at the pharmacy.
- Hemorrhoids. This hemorrhoid medicine is also able to relieve and relieve symptoms of hemorrhoids. Consume this medicine after eating.
- Ambien. This is a hemorrhoid medicine with herbal content in capsule form. This medicine is useful for relieving hemorrhoid symptoms. You also need to take this medicine after eating.
- H2 Health & Happiness Hemorrhoid. You can get this medicine directly at the pharmacy. This is a medicine with herbal content that can relieve symptoms of hemorrhoids.
- Laxatab. This hemorrhoid medication can help overcome difficulty in defecating for people with hernia, post-surgery, and hemorrhoids. Adults and children aged 6 years and over can consume it according to the dosage on the packaging. However, doctors do not recommend this medicine for children under 6 years of age.
- Fibrefirst. This supplement can meet the fiber needs of hemorrhoid sufferers. There are various contents in this supplement, such as psyllium husk, vegetables and fruits, celery, carrots, and spirulina.
2. Use of hemorrhoid medication with a doctor’s prescription
Doctors can also prescribe hemorrhoid medications in various forms, such as suppositories, ointments, and pads. Here are some common prescription hemorrhoid medications that doctors recommend:
- Zinc oxide. Creams containing zinc oxide can help relieve irritation. This ointment may be effective in relieving anal itching associated with this condition/hemorrhoids.
- Witch hazel. This hemorrhoid medicine can relieve hemorrhoid symptoms, although only temporarily.
- Steroid creams. Steroid creams such as hydrocortisone can be used to treat hemorrhoids. These medications can reduce inflammation but can damage the skin if used too long or over the long term.
- Lidocaine. This hemorrhoid medication acts as a local anesthetic. It is usually used in combination with tribenoside (an anti-inflammatory) to help relieve symptoms of pain and itching.
3. Operating procedures
If hemorrhoids continue to bother the sufferer even though the sufferer has received treatment by taking hemorrhoid medication, the doctor may recommend a surgical option.
Then, how to cure hemorrhoids completely? Usually, treatment using surgical procedures is useful for treating hemorrhoids.
Surgical or operative options aim to completely remove external hemorrhoids or prolapsed internal hemorrhoids.
This procedure is also known as hemorrhoidectomy. During the surgical procedure, the hemorrhoid sufferer will receive general anesthesia.
Hemorrhoid Prevention
You can prevent hemorrhoids by making lifestyle changes to reduce pain in the blood vessels of the anus and surrounding areas, namely:
1. Lifestyle changes
The first step to overcome hemorrhoids is to change your lifestyle to be healthier. The ways include:
- Eating foods that are high in fiber. Because hemorrhoids can occur due to constipation. Therefore, the main way to cure hemorrhoids is to make the stool softer and get used to having regular bowel movements.
- Increase fluid intake, limit caffeine intake, and exercise regularly.
- You should try not to push too hard when defecating. Because pushing can press on the blood vessels in the lower rectum. Excessive pushing when defecating can make hemorrhoids worse.
- Don’t hold your bowel movements for too long. Go to the toilet immediately when you want to defecate. It’s best to avoid holding your bowel movements, especially for too long. Because, the longer you delay your bowel movements, the drier the feces will be.
- Get regular physical activity. Exercise can help move stool through the milk, making bowel movements more regular.
- Maintain a healthy weight. Being overweight or obese can increase your risk of hemorrhoids.
2. Avoid consuming certain fruits
In addition, make sure to implement a good diet to prevent hemorrhoids.
Therefore, there are several foods that hemorrhoid sufferers should avoid so that the symptoms do not get worse, namely:
- Unripe fruits. Fruits like unripe bananas, may contain some compounds that cause constipation or irritation. As a result, consuming unripe bananas during hemorrhoids increases the pain of hemorrhoids.
- Frozen fruit. Processed foods such as frozen foods or fruits need to be avoided by hemorrhoid sufferers.
So, what to eat to heal hemorrhoids quickly? Foods that can help heal hemorrhoids include whole grains, fruits, cereals, and vegetables.
3. Avoid foods that are taboo for hemorrhoid sufferers.
There are several heavy or light foods that are taboo for hemorrhoid sufferers, including:
- Spicy foods. Spicy foods can trigger heartburn and increase the frequency of bowel movements. This condition can make hemorrhoid sufferers feel pain and discomfort around the anus.
- High salt foods. Excessive salt intake can bind water in the body. As a result, blood vessel pressure, especially in the lower body, will increase, triggering hemorrhoids.
- Fried foods. High-fat foods like fried foods take longer for the body to digest. As a result, consuming fried foods makes the digestive system work harder which can worsen hemorrhoids.
Complications of Hemorrhoids
Complications of hemorrhoids are rare. However, there are some potential complications that hemorrhoid sufferers need to be aware of, namely:
- Chronic bleeding from hemorrhoids, especially internal hemorrhoids, can lead to blood loss that can eventually lead to anemia. This condition can cause symptoms such as fatigue, dizziness, and paleness.
- External hemorrhoids can thrombose, which is the formation of a blood clot within the hemorrhoid. When this occurs, thrombosis can cause severe pain and swelling in the area.
- Although rare, hemorrhoids can become infected, which can lead to a perianal abscess or other serious infectious conditions.
- Strangulation occurs when the blood supply to an internal hemorrhoid is cut off, which can cause severe pain and tissue necrosis (tissue death).
- In rare cases, damage to the anal sphincter muscles due to surgical treatment or severe conditions can cause difficulty controlling bowel movements.
- Large internal hemorrhoids can prolapse, that is, fall out of the anus, and may not go back in without medical help.