As many as fifty percent of people in the United States suffer from Piles Disease or Hemorrhoids some time during their life. They may feel rectal pain, itching or experience rectal bleeding. They may also experience incontinence and a discharge. Five percent of the U.S. population is suffering from this disturbing condition at any time.
Piles make life unpleasant; they are uncomfortable and can be embarrassing. There are two types of Piles Disease – internal and external hemorrhoids. External hemorrhoids are painful, while internal hemorrhoids usually are not unless they become thrombosed or necrotic.
Signs of Piles Disease
One of the symptoms that is most common with internal hemorrhoids is bright red blood on toilet paper, in the toilet or covering the stool. Internal hemorrhoids sometime stick out of the anus. External hemorrhoids often cause a bulge around the anus and painful swelling.Day to day activities become difficult, It is uncomfortable to sit, often making work unpleasant. Often you have to bear the humiliation of carrying a rubber air filled donut around in order to sit for any length of time.
There are a numbers of things that can lead to the appearance of hemorrhoids including irregular bowel habits, including constipation or diarrhea, exercise, nutrition (a diet low in fiber), increased abdominal pressure, prolonged straining, pregnancy, aging and genetics.
Being heavily overweight or having to sit for extended periods are other causes of the pressure on the veins that result in hemorrhoids.
Pregnancy
Pregnant women are often cursed with Piles Disease. Hormonal changes and the pressure to the abdomen by the fetus cause the rectal veins to enlarge. The birth process also places pressure on the abdomen, and this can cause hemorrhoids. In these cases surgery is usually not necessary. Often the condition will disappear after the delivery. But while pregnant there may discomfort.
Determining if you have Hemorrhoids
Sometimes to need a doctor to perform a rectal exam to see if you might have an enlarged prostate, abscesses, polyps or rectal tumors. The exam could be painful and you might need some medication, even though there is usually no pain with internal piles. It may be possible to determine if you have external or prolapsed hemorrhoids with a visual exam of the anus and surrounding area.
Another unpleasant part of dealing with internal hemorrhoids is the procedure to verify there presence. You can have anoscopy or proctoscopy which basically involves a hollow tube with a light attached to one end. This allows the doctor to check if internal hemorrhoids or in some cases polyps are present.
