subject: Learn How To Treat Hemorrhoids [print this page] Hemorrhoids are abnormally swollen veins within the rectum and anus. When these veins are irritated, they cause surrounding membranes to swell, burn, itch, become painful, and even bleed.
Hemorrhoids bleed if the blood vessels rupture, including from straining within a bowel movement. Because bleeding can be quite a sign of colon cancer or colon polyps, you should talk to your medical professional if you have bleeding from the rectum, blood on the stools, or blood inside toilet after having a bowel movement.
Hemorrhoids can be a very common problem. Most males and females is certain to get them the older they get. Trauma for the anus and any kind of straining can make hemorrhoids worse.
Risk factors and results in as well as constipation and straining with bowel motions include constant sitting, diarrhea, severe or chronic coughing, pregnancy and childbirth, or heavy lifting.
Conservative measures are successful in alleviating symptoms for many patients with hemorrhoidal disease:
Bleeding:
Clinical trials have demonstrated that adding fiber on the diet through the use of psyllium or appropriate commercially available fiber preparations may significantly reduce bleeding episodes linked to hemorrhoidal disease. Psyllium in addition to methylcellulose adds bulk to stools, driving them to softer and simpler to pass.
Irritation and itching (pruritus):
Irritation and pruritus linked to hemorrhoids may be treated by various measures like the following:
Warm sitz baths - During sitz baths, the rectal area is immersed in warm water for as much as 10-15 minutes 2 to 3 times daily. Sitz baths can be found in most drugstores; in addition, portable bowls are commercially available that offer their used in work. The effectiveness of warm sitz baths may be due partly to relaxation with the internal anal sphincter.
Fiber supplementation can help to ease itching potentially linked to fecal soilage, since their bulking effect may reduce leakage of rectal contents.
Use of various pain-relieving (analgesic) creams:
Creams and suppositories, particularly hydrocortisone, mustn't be useful for longer than 1 week unless directed through your doctor, since they may lead to certain side effects, for instance skin rash and inflammation (contact dermatitis) with pain-relieving creams or skin wasting (atrophy) with steroid creams.
Patients who continue to have symptoms in spite of the conservative measures described above might be candidates for just one of various techniques developed to take care of symptomatic hemorrhoids. This could include rubber band ligation, sclerotherapy, cryotherapy, laser coagulation or surgery.
