What causes Hemorrhoids and Treatment For Hemorrhoids

Hemorrhoids can be occur due to such things as an individual straining when they have a bowel movement. They are sometimes referred to as piles and occur when veins become inflamed in an individual's anus or their lower rectum.

There are two types of hemorrhoids, one type is referred to as internal hemorrhoids because they occur within the rectum and the other type is known as external hemorrhoids because they occur just below the skin in the area of the anus.

Approximately fifty per cent of adults have had the discomfort, as well as bleeding and itching associated with hemorrhoids by the time they reach the age of fifty years old and are considered to be a common ailment for elderly people.

There are several options that are available for the treatment of hemorrhoids. Most of the time people can use some type of home treatment to help them obtain relief from the pain and irritation caused by hemorrhoids. In some cases a change in an individual's lifestyle can help.

Things That Can Cause Hemorrhoids:

If an individual is constipated or develops diarrhea which becomes chronic, is over-weight, remains on the toilet for extended periods of time, or for women during pregnancy it is possible for them to develop hemorrhoids.

As an individual gets older the veins around the anus tend to become weaker and stretch. It is also possible that some people may inherit the tendency of hemorrhoids being able to develop.

The Following Symptoms May be an indication of Hemorrhoids”

There may be some irritation or possibly itching in the area around an individual's anus, possible swelling or a lump in the area of the anus. Usually there is pain in the area of the anus which causes discomfort when sitting or standing after sitting for a period of time. It is also possible that there may be bleeding when an individual has a bowel movement.

Generally sitting on a hard surface aggravates hemorrhoids and any individual who has them is uncomfortable while sitting in a chair or on a hard surface.

The location of the hemorrhoid generally dictates the symptoms, which is to say that internal hemorrhoids generally can not be seen or felt and do not generally cause discomfort. However, straining or some irritation during a bowel movement can possibly damage the surface of the hemorrhoid resulting in it bleeding. Another thing that is possible when an individual strains during a bowel movement, is that the hemorrhoid may be pushed out of the anal opening. This type is referred to as a protruding hemorrhoid also known as a prolapsed hemorrhoid. A prolapsed hemorrhoid can result in the individual having pain and uncomfortable irritation in the area of the anal.

Bleeding or itching are generally possible with external hemorrhoids when they are irritated. It is also possible for blood to clot when the blood pools within a external hemorrhoid. When this happens there is generally inflammation, swelling and in some case sever pain in the area of the anus.

It is best to see a doctor if an individual suspects they have developed hemorrhoids due to the fact that bleeding in the area of the anus may be caused because of some other disease such as colorectal cancer or possibly anal cancer. The doctor can perform an examination to determine if the problem is caused by hemorrhoids or something else.

How hemorrhoids are treated:

The treatments for hemorrhoids can vary from using over the counter medications and changing an individual's life style to having surgery.. In most cases just the changing of an individual's life style or medications purchased at a drug store will help to relieve the itching and irritation caused by hemorrhoids. However, in some cases surgery may be required to correct the problem.

It has been advised not to use medications purchased from a drug store for more than a week unless a doctor has advised an individual that it is all right to do so, because sometimes using over the counter drugs for hemorrhoids for longer than a week can have side effects that may be just as bad as having hemorrhoids.

Sometimes surgery may be necessary to correct the problem of hemorrhoids, however, if an individual needs surgery, the surgery can usually been done as an out patient and the individual may not be required to spend time in a hospital which may be for as little as one day.

The information for this article was gathered from the following web site:http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/hemorrhoids/DS00096