Recently, more and more patients come to the proctologist with complaints of pain and bleeding from the anus. In half of the people who applied, hemorrhoids are found, and more often in a chronic form. But what is the cause of the disease? How to protect yourself from it and how can a doctor help?
Hemorrhoids - what is this disease?
Hemorrhoids is a pathology directly related to the inflammatory process, the pathological expansion of the hemorrhoidal veins that form nodules around the rectum. The diagnosis of "chronic hemorrhoids" (ICD 10) is often made, although the disease does not have such a specific formulation, but any sluggish form falls under it. This is one of the most common coloproctological pathologies, affecting up to 10 out of 100 people.
The disease occurs in both women and men, but chronic hemorrhoids are more often detected in the strong half of humanity, and all because they seek qualified help late. But what are the causes of this disease, what is the provoking factor?
Causes leading to hemorrhoids
According to the doctor-a proctologist who examines patients with hemorrhoids, there are many reasons for the appearance of this disease, but more often the pathology develops due to such factors:
- Inactivity.
- Work related to constant sitting, for example at the computer.
It is these two factors that are considered the main causes of hemorrhoids. Most of the patients who come to the doctor's office admit that they have a sedentary job and do not move much in their daily lives.
But there are other causes of chronic hemorrhoids:
- Hard physical work, heavy lifting.
- Improper nutrition: the diet contains only fried and fatty foods, but there are almost no vegetables and fruits.
- Heredity.
- Pregnancy and childbirth in the female half.
- Infectious diseases.
Chronic hemorrhoids are of different types. What types of pathology exist and how to recognize them?
Types of hemorrhoids
Hemorrhoids can be congenital or acquired. The latter is primary, which arose as an independent disease, and secondary, if it is a complication of another pathology, such as prostate adenoma in men.
Depending on the location of the hemorrhoids, the following varieties of this disease are distinguished:
- Internal.
- Outer.
- Mixed.
Pathology can flow both for a long time without complicating the process, or acutely.
But most often the proctologist findstheir patients chronic form of hemorrhoids. It all starts with minor harbingers. The patient feels slight discomfort in the anus, and then bleeding appears at the end of the act of defecation. This period of the disease lasts a very long time, it is characterized by remission phases, when the patient does not complain about anything. Therefore, patients often seek qualified help very late.
Gradually, the disease begins to progress, during defecation, pain appears, and they can intensify. Discharge of blood during bowel movements now becomes regular, and their intensity can be different, from a few drops to severe bleeding, as a result of which anemia develops. Hemorrhoids become larger, which eventually leads to their prolapse.
Depending on how enlarged the hemorrhoids are, chronic hemorrhoids are divided into 4 stages:
- There is a slight discharge of blood from the anus, but the hemorrhoids do not fall out. This is how hemorrhoids begin to appear, the initial stage ends here.
- Hemorrhoids fall out during defecation, and after it they are set on their own.
- At this stage, the nodes fall out, and you have to set them manually.
- And at the fourth stage, the nodes fall out not only during defecation, but also when coughing, sneezing and any even the most insignificant load, but it is no longer possible to set them on their own, you need the help of a specialist.
Symptoms of chronic hemorrhoids
Chronic hemorrhoid symptoms do not always show immediately. Oftenthe doctor may discover the pathology after the patient has asked for help with another disease. In most cases, the patient does not even realize that he has chronic hemorrhoids until the disease becomes severe and noticeable.
The chronic form is characterized by the following symptoms:
- Bleeding from the anus.
- Itching and burning in the anus.
- Severe pain and feeling like there is a foreign body in the rectum.
At the second stage of the disease, hemorrhoids appear.
With the appearance of such symptoms, the question arises which doctor to seek help.
Proctologist: help with hemorrhoids
When the first symptoms of hemorrhoids appear, you need to seek help from a qualified specialist so that he can correctly diagnose. A proctologist in Moscow can conduct appointments both in public clinics and in private offices.
For example, patients leave good reviews about specialists working at the Euro-Med clinic near the Mayakovskaya metro station, the Yauza Clinical Hospital, the Coloproctology Diagnostic and Treatment Center and many other institutions.
A proctologist in the capital, as in any other city, is a highly specialized specialist who diagnoses and treats diseases of the rectum and anus.
At the doctor's appointment
But before going to the proctologist, you need to prepare. The first thing to do before visiting is to cleanse the intestines. Cleaning is carried out the night before or in the morningwith the enema "Microlax".
You must have a towel or wet wipes with you. Be sure to remember when the disease appeared, and how it manifested itself. It is necessary to take an outpatient card, which lists all chronic pathologies and surgeries. All this may be needed to determine the exact cause of the disease.
Reception of a proctologist begins with a conversation with the patient, during which complaints, symptoms of the disease and the timing of its occurrence are clarified. This is followed by an inspection. The doctor finds out the severity of the pathology, the form of hemorrhoids, and only then prescribes the appropriate treatment.
Possible complications of hemorrhoids
If chronic internal hemorrhoids are not detected in time, then there is a possibility of serious complications that will be very difficult to treat in the future. The disease becomes acute, there is severe pain in the anus, the nodes become dense, the temperature rises, and the patient's general condition worsens significantly. There are three grades of acute chronic hemorrhoids:
- Thrombosis without the presence of inflammation.
- With inflammation of hemorrhoids.
- Thrombosis complicated by inflammation of the subcutaneous tissue.
The acute form of the disease of the third degree requires urgent medical attention. Since in advanced forms, when hemorrhoids are not treated, such complications often develop:
- Profuse bleeding.
- Swelling of the anus.
- Purulent paraproctitis.
- Tissue necrosishemorrhoid.
A proctologist in Moscow and in any medical institution in the country will be able to detect necrosis of hemorrhoids, because the nodes become black. In this case, the patient will no longer be able to help himself, and the intervention of a specialist is indispensable.
Conservative treatment of chronic hemorrhoids
When chronic hemorrhoids become aggravated, the doctor should urgently start treatment, only in this case it will be possible to avoid serious consequences. Therapy of chronic hemorrhoids begins with conservative methods.
The external process is treated with ointments: "Relief", "Relief Ultra", "Gepatrombin G", "Proctosedil".
They contain several main components that allow:
- Relieve pain.
- Remove knot puffiness.
- Improve blood flow in the node.
- Dissolve blood clots.
- Remove itching and unpleasant burning.
If the nodes are internal, then in this case the ointments will be ineffective, it is more expedient to use candles. They are placed up to 4 times a day. If conservative methods do not help cure hemorrhoids, the doctor prescribes minimally invasive methods:
- Ligation of knots with latex rings.
- Sclerotherapy.
- Cryotherapy.
- Infrared photocoagulation.
If these methods also fail, surgery is recommended.
Treatment of hemorrhoids with surgery
Surgery to remove hemorrhoids, fissures in the anus,warts and other formations are performed under general anesthesia. In addition to the classical procedure for removing hemorrhoids, the Longo operation and the THD technique are also often used.
Longo's operation involves the removal of nodes using a circular endostapler. This procedure is recommended for treating stage 1 and 2 hemorrhoids. But on the third, anoplasty is added to it.
THD (transanal hemorrhoidal dearterialization) technique is based on suturing of hemorrhoidal arteries using an endorectal ultrasound transducer. The main purpose of this method is to empty the cavernous tissue of hemorrhoids. Used in the initial stages and the third, but with the addition of anoplasty.
Hemorrhoids and traditional medicine
Chronic folk medicine treats hemorrhoids very effectively. Leech therapy gives good results. Thanks to their influence, the immune system of the body is activated. Leeches remove toxins and toxic substances. With hemorrhoids, they are placed on the coccyx or sacrum. Thanks to them, the patient gets rid of severe pain and bleeding. But it is worth remembering that leeches are contraindicated in patients with hypotension and poor blood clotting.
Also very good results in the treatment of hemorrhoids showed such recipes of traditional medicine:
- 7 g of propolis, 80 g of vaseline and 10 g of lanolin melt in a water bath, bringing to a boil. After thorough mixing, until a mixture in the form of a cream is obtained, hemorrhoidal cones are lubricated with this composition. After 3-5 procedures, the diseasestops bothering.
- 50 g crushed marigold flowers mixed with 200 g internal pork fat and bring to a boil in a water bath. Store the prepared ointment in the refrigerator. It can be used to lubricate bumps or put tampons in the anus.
- Bleeding chronic combined hemorrhoids will help remove gorse grass. 25 g of crushed fruits are poured into 500 ml of olive oil and infused for 7 days. Take 1 tbsp. l. in the morning on an empty stomach. After an hour, you can have breakfast, and then drink tea with gorse fruits.
There are many good and time-tested folk recipes, but it is worth remembering that before using them, you need to consult a doctor.
Preventive measures for hemorrhoids
Hemorrhoids are a chronic disease that can progress or, conversely, not bother for a long time. To prevent pathology, doctors recommend preventive measures:
- Follow the work of the intestines, it should be soft and free. The first thing to do is to deal with stool disorders. Patients with frequent constipation are most likely to suffer from hemorrhoids.
- Proper defecation hygiene. Do not use toilet paper that is too hard or contains a lot of harmful substances that can irritate the skin around the anus.
- Cool washing and drinking water. So that the pain of hemorrhoids does not bother, it is recommended to take a cold shower and drink a glass of cold water three times a day before meals. Cool baths with potassium permanganate are also recommended.
- Tolerate the itch. If the anus is very itchy, do not touch it. Scratching can damage the knots and, as a result, increase bleeding.
- Don't push on the toilet or lift heavy things. This is a very important point for people who have a predisposition to hemorrhoids.
- Regular warm baths. You need to sit in a bath with warm water as often as possible, while it is important that your knees are raised, this will reduce the pain of hemorrhoids.
- Worth watching over weight. Excess weight can aggravate the situation of a patient with a predisposition to hemorrhoids.
- Beware of hypothermia. It can lead to circulatory disorders, and this will provoke an exacerbation of the disease.
- Sedentary work. People who spend most of the day in a sitting position should do at least simple exercises and take walks in the fresh air.
And, of course, we must not forget about proper nutrition. Eliminating certain foods from the diet will help get rid of hemorrhoids faster.
Nutrition for chronic hemorrhoids
Chronic hemorrhoids will be easier to cure if you follow the recommendations for proper nutrition. It is better to give preference to such products:
- Lean meat in any quantity.
- With soft dietary fiber (prunes, dried apricots and figs).
- Fresh fruits, especially apples, bananas and grapes, you can also drink compotes made from these fruits.
- Cookie lean.
- More cereals,especially pearl barley, oatmeal and barley.
- Boiled and fresh vegetables, salads with them, but seasoned with olive oil.
- Nuts and wild berries.
- Mineral water without gas, containing sulfates and magnesium in its composition.
- Any oil, including olive, butter and pumpkin.
- Fermented milk products, especially with bifidobacteria.
- Fresh greens.
- Soups with low-fat broth or vegetable.
Chronic hemorrhoids do not accept foods in the diet that will only provoke its aggravation:
- Alcoholic drinks with a high alcohol content.
- Spicy, fried and too s alty food.
- Beans, white cabbage, gas-inducing foods.
- Sorrel, radish and turnip.
- Fresh milk.
- Coffee, strong tea and chocolate.
- Pepper, adjika, mustard.
- Rye bread.
- Soda and sugar drinks.
- Fatty eggs and cottage cheese.
- Refractory fats, especially lamb.
- Such types of fruits: blueberry, quince, dogwood, pomegranate, lingonberry, pear.
Exercise for hemorrhoids
With a sedentary lifestyle and sedentary work, it is enough just to earn hemorrhoids. The initial stage will quickly turn into a more complex type, and in order to prevent this, special exercises can be recommended:
- To improve circulation, you need to walk with your knees high and legs crossed, one in front of the other.
- Sitting on a hard chair, the back is straight, the body is slightly tilted forward, - strainmuscles in the anus.
- Lying on the floor, hands lie along the body, squeeze and unclench the buttocks, slightly drawing in the rectum.
- Also, lying on the floor with legs slightly raised, do the “scissors” exercise: spread and move your legs, slightly crossing them.
- Lying cross-legged, rhythmically tighten the muscles of the buttocks and anus.
- Lying on your back doing exercise bike.
Such exercises will be the best prevention and will help people with sedentary work protect themselves from exacerbation of hemorrhoids.
Any disease, including hemorrhoids, is better to prevent than to cure. But if it so happened that the disease made itself felt, you should not self-medicate, but seek qualified help from a good doctor in Moscow or another city. Only a specialist will recommend effective treatment.
