What Causes Hemorroids

What causes hemorroids is most common question ask by many because they don’t want to suffer the effect brought by hemorroid. So for precautions, they are eager to know what causes hemorroid. But before we discuss of what causes hemorroids, lets take a tour on what is hemorroid is all about.

Hemorroids are swollen blood vessels of the rectum. The hemorroidal veins are located in the lowest area of the rectum and the anus. Sometimes they swell because the vein walls become stretched, thin, and irritated by passing bowel movements. Hemorroids are classified into two general categories: internal and external.

• Internal hemorroids lie far enough inside the rectum that you can't see or feel them. They don't usually hurt because there are few pain-sensing nerves in the rectum. Bleeding may be the only sign that they are there. Sometimes internal hemorroids prolapse, or enlarge and protrude outside the anal sphincter. If so, you may be able to see or feel them as moist, pink pads of skin that are pinker than the surrounding area. Prolapsed hemorroids may hurt because the anus is dense with pain-sensing nerves. They usually recede into the rectum on their own; if they don't, they can be gently pushed back into place.
• External hemorroids lie within the anus and are usually painful. If an external hemorroid prolapses to the outside (usually in the course of passing a stool), you can see and feel it. Blood clots sometimes form within prolapsed external hemorroids, causing an extremely painful condition called a thrombosis. If an external hemorroid becomes thrombosed, it can look rather frightening, turning purple or blue, and could possibly bleed. Despite their appearance, thrombosed hemorroids are usually not serious and will resolve themselves in about a week. If the pain is unbearable, your doctor can perform hemorroid removal to the thrombosed hemorroid, to stops the pain

Anal bleeding and pain of any sort is alarming and should be evaluated; it can indicate a life-threatening condition, such as colorectal cancer. Although hemorroids are the No. 1 cause of anal bleeding and are rarely dangerous, but a definite diagnosis from your physician is a must.

So what causes hemorroids then? The main cause of hemorroids is the pressure applied on veins of pelvic and rectal system. This pressure comes from different habits that the patient has in his bathroom, constipation, diarrhea, sitting or standing for a long time, obesity, pregnancy or genetic factors. In the next lines, we will detail a little each hemorroid cause and bring some solutions to it.

• 1. Adopting a wrong position on the toilet seat is one of the main causes of hemorroids. Here is correct way to sit; a person should follow when sitting on the toilet: sit on the toilet normally, then raise your feet up on tiptoes and balls of feet (front part of foot) and bend forward with your elbows to your knees. This position allows the bowel to come out with little effort, thus lessening the chance of hemorroids coming through the hole and reducing the chance of developing new hemorroids.
• 2. Constipation is another cause of hemorroids. Straining to pass hard stools puts too much pressure on the rectum and makes the veins swell (like varicose veins behind the knees). To avoid the internal problems caused by constipation, when you go to the toilet, take your time; let nature do its thing. Try gentle deep breathing and avoid holding your breath, to put a little pressure on the bowel to come out.
• 3. Diarrhea is a factor that damages the veins. In this case, there are frequent passing of stool, and even though the fecal matter is soft, it dampens the intestine at the same time and causes the hemorroid disease. Take a good care of your health, always wash your hands before eating and always wash the fruits and vegetables before consuming them.
• 4. Wiping too hard or too long may also cause or aggravate hemorroids. The bowel should evacuate the contents well, reducing the need for excess wiping, if you followed the suggestions of extra fiber and water. Also, use a soft damp cloth that absorbs a lot.
• 5. Other important cause of hemorroids is pregnancy. Maximum pressure is exerted during delivery time and this increases the anal pressure while the baby is pushed out. To prevent hemorroids from showing, you must do a lot of exercise during the pregnancy, especially in the beginning.
• 6. Heavy lifting straining can cause hemorroids to show themselves and can possibly cause hemorroids to develop. If your job requires heavy lifting, discuss this issue with someone specially trained in your work area.
• 7. Liver disease can also cause increased pressure in the veins, as blood is pooled in and around the pelvic system. Don’t drink too much alcohol or coffee, don’t eat junk food, and try to keep your liver and your heart healthy.
• 8. If you are overweight, you are lifting your excess weight up every time you stand or walk or run. Especially when sitting, the pressure of your body is bearing on your anal region and may well be weakening it or aggravating existing hemorroids. To help alleviate the suffering from hemorroids and perhaps prevent new hemorroids from developing, you should try to loose the excess weight you are carrying around on your body.
• 9. Another factor that counts is heredity. Some people are genetically predisposed to this type of illness and there aren’t too many things we can do about it. Do a lot of sport, especially to train and relax your anal sphincter muscles (the ring of muscles that surrounds the anal opening).
• 10. Anal sex is another cause of hemorroids. No matter how much lubricant it’s used; keep in mind that the anus wasn’t designed for this function. If we remember that just wiping the area with toilet paper is considered a risk, you will get the picture yourself of how much problems can cause this type of sexual intercourse.
  

Diet has also a pivotal role in causing and preventing hemorroids. People who consistently eat a high-fiber diet are unlikely to get hemorroids, but those who prefer a diet high in processed foods can expect them. A low-fiber diet or inadequate fluid intake can cause constipation, which can contribute to hemorroids in two ways: It promotes straining on the toilet and it also aggravates the hemorroids by producing hard stools that further irritate the swollen veins. Hope the above mention satisfies your question on what causes hemorroids.

Although hemorroids are rarely dangerous, they can be a painful recurrent bother, as you've found. Fortunately, most hemorroid symptoms improve dramatically with simple measures. Here are some things to try:

• Add fiber. Boost the fiber in your diet with high-fiber foods, a fiber supplement or both. When taken with adequate fluid, fiber softens stools and makes them easier to pass, reducing pressure on hemorrhoids and lowering the risk of bleeding, inflammation and swelling.
• • High-fiber foods include prunes, dates, apples, pears, strawberries, broccoli, brussels sprouts, carrots, peas, spinach, legumes (for example, baked beans or kidney beans), bran cereals and oatmeal. Fiber supplements include psyllium (Metamucil, Konsyl, Perdiem), methylcellulose (Citrucel), calcium polycarbophil (FiberCon, Fiber-Lax, Mitrolan) and wheat dextrin (Benefiber). Fiber can cause bloating or gas, so start slowly, and gradually increase your intake to 25 to 30 grams of fiber per day. Increase your fluid intake at the same time.
• • Exercise. You can stimulate bowel function with moderate aerobic exercise, such as brisk walking 20 to 30 minutes a day.
• • Go when you have to go. When you feel the urge, go to the bathroom immediately; don't wait for a more convenient time. Your stool can back up, leading to increased pressure and straining.
• • Take sitz baths. You can often relieve itching, irritation and spasm of the sphincter muscle with a warm water bath for the buttocks (sitz bath). Sit in a few inches of warm water in your bathtub or in a small plastic tub that fits over a toilet seat. Try a 20-minute sitz bath after each bowel movement and at two or three other times during the day. Afterward, gently pat the anal area dry; don't rub or wipe hard because this can cause irritation to your hemorrhoids.
• • Try over-the-counter hemorroid creams. These can temporarily soothe pain, irritation and itching. Hemorroid cream and suppositories containing hydrocortisone are also effective, but don't use them for more than a week at a time, because they can cause the skin to get too thin. Witch hazel wipes (Tucks) are soothing and have no harmful effects. A small ice pack placed against the anal area for a few minutes may also help. Finally, sitting on cushions rather than hard surfaces can help reduce swelling.
  

Occasionally, hemorroids can't be managed with conservative treatments alone, either because the symptoms persist or because an internal hemorroid has slipped down into the anus. If symptoms continue for more than a few days despite your efforts to relieve them, call your doctor. He or she can confirm that you have hemorrhoids, rule out other conditions and recommend an appropriate hemorroids treatment, such as surgery, to remove or shrink hemorroids. Also try to prevent or eliminate formation of hemorroids by avoiding what causes hemorroids formation.

Hemorroid Treatments

Hemorroid treatments can give quick and effective relief from discomfort and other problems associated with hemorroids when acted as early as its symptoms appear. There are now various prescription drugs as well as over-the-counter medicines available currently for hemorroid treatmenst. There are also alternative therapies for hemorroid treatment that can give you safe and long lasting results which includes homoeopathic and herbal medicines, dietary supplements and home made remedies . So there is no reason why you cannot treat your hemorroid before it becomes worst.

But what is hemorroid by the way? Hemorroids are the network of veins around the anus area. The condition known as hemorroids occurs when these veins enlarge and distend usually caused by straining or pressure. The two types of hemorroids are internal and external. Internal hemorroids usually do not cause much pain and rarely itch while external hemorroids are the type of hemorroid that tends to cause burning, itching, and/or pain. Symptoms of hemorroid usually include blood in the stool, in the toilet, or on bath tissue after using the bathroom, or a vague pain in the anus after defecating. Also, itching, burning, or pain in the region may indicate a case of hemorroids.

Because of this irritating symptoms brought by hemorroids, appropriate hemorroid treatments are necessary. But most commonly, hemorroid treatments may require nothing more than home treatment and lifestyle changes, which mainly involves establishing healthy bowel habits and simple changes to healthy diet. But if you need instant relief from pain, itching and swelling brought by your hemorroid, try the following:

• Apply a hemorroidal cream or suppository to the affected area as directed.
• Use ice packs, which can reduce swelling from painful hemorroid.
• Soak in a warm bath or "sitz" bath (sitting in three inches of water) for 10 minutes a few times a day.

You can talk to your doctor about your hemorroids and ask for any hemorroid treatment during your next visit. And to encourage better bowel movements, your doctor may suggest some initial lifestyle changes, such as increasing your fiber and fluid intake and exercise. If these changes do not help; your doctor may suggest one of the following types of hemorroid treatment:

• A fiber laxative.
• A stool softener.

Fiber is the part of a plant that can't be digested. It adds bulk to keep other foods moving through the digestive system and it holds water which, in turn, softens the stool for easy elimination. Fiber laxative and stool softeners should be used only as directed. And take note that different hemorroid treatments work in different ways so let your doctor choose the best one for you.

Although in many cases hemorroid treatments involves steps that you can take on your own but sometimes medications or surgical procedures are necessary as your best way as your hemorroid treatment. These includes:

Medications Creams

If your hemorroids are producing only mild discomfort, your doctor may suggest over-the-counter hemorroid creams, ointments or pads containing witch hazel or a topical anti-inflammatory agent containing hydrocortisone. This local hemorroid treatment, in combination with daily warm baths, may relieve your hemorroid symptoms.

Surgical or other procedures

If a blood clot has formed within an external hemorroid, your doctor can easily remove the clot with a simple incision, which may provide prompt relief. But for persistent bleeding or painful hemorroids, your doctor may recommend these following hemorroid treatments:

• • Rubber band ligation. Your doctor places one or two tiny rubber bands around the base of an internal hemorroid to cut off its blood circulation and the hemorroid falls off. This simple procedure - called rubber band ligation - is done in the doctor's office and is effective hemorroid treatment for many people. To remove a hemorroid using rubber band ligation, your doctor inserts the ligator through a scope in the anal canal, grasping the hemorroid with forceps. Sliding the ligator's cylinder upward releases rubber bands around the base of the hemorroid. Rubber bands cut off the hemorroid's blood supply, causing it to wither and drop off.
• • Sclerotherapy. In this procedure, your doctor injects a chemical solution around the blood vessel to shrink the hemorroid.
• • Infrared light. A one- or two-second burst of infrared light cuts off circulation to small, bleeding, internal hemorroids.
• • Stapling. This procedure, which blocks blood flow to hemorroidal tissue, is a relatively new hemorroid treatment technique. While some experts point out that this procedure involves less pain than surgery and allows an earlier return to work, there are drawbacks as well. Stapling has been associated with a greater risk of hemorroidal recurrence and prolapse compared with open surgery. Talk with your doctor about what might be the best hemorroid treatment option for you.
• • Surgery. If other procedures haven't been successful or if you have large hemorroids, your doctor can remove tissue in a procedure called hemorroidectomy. The surgery is done with either a local anesthetic combined with sedation, a spinal anesthetic, or a general anesthetic. Hemorroid surgery can be performed on an outpatient basis or you may require an overnight hospital stay. While you may experience discomfort after the procedure, medications can be used to relieve your pain. Soaking in a warm bath also can ease your discomfort.
  

You can also take the following steps to reduce your risk of having hemorroids thus avoiding unnecessary and time consuming hemorroid treatments. Try follow these easy steps:
• Eat more fiber and drink plenty of fluids. This will help soften stools and promote regular elimination, which reduces straining thus avoiding the causes of such hemorroid.
• Go when you feel the urge to have a bowel movement. Delaying now can mean straining later.
• Don't stay long on the toilet. Sitting and straining too long encourages swelling.
• Wipe gently with soft, white unperfumed tissue. This helps keep the area clean to avoid irritation.
• Exercise regularly; which aids digestion and improves circulation.

Take note that complications of untreated hemorroid are - bleeding, infection, prolapse, strangulation, necrosis and gangrene. Painful bleeding usually indicates startup of complications.

So do not delay. Let your hemorroid be treated as early as its symptoms shows. Don’t be shy if you have that condition. You just don’t know that the number of people who hemorroid are now increasing due to poor eating habits and changes of lifestyle. You cant talk with your family regarding your shameful condition, talk directly to your doctor as he can help you. Your doctor can give you right hemorroid treatment.