Symptoms of Hemorrhoids

Featured Story, Symptoms — By Admin on January 1, 2012 10:46 pm

What are the Symptoms of Hemorrhoids?

Hemorrhoids may or may not make their presence felt. Whether they hurt or not, hemorrhoids are swollen blood vessels inside the anal canal and around the outer rim of the anus. Depending on the type of hemorrhoid you have, you could experience either nothing at all or pain, discomfort and bleeding. Hemorrhoids are essentially of two types: internal and external. It’s possible that you could have both types at the same time. One needs to be aware that rectal pain and bleeding could also indicate more serious diseases. If your symptoms of hemorrhoids don’t go away in a few days or keep recurring, it’s best to consult a doctor. The surest way to know if you have hemorrhoids is to undergo a medical examination.

Symptoms of Hemorrhoids: Internal Hemorrhoids

Hemorrhoids that occur along the upper section of the rectal wall are called internal hemorrhoids. Bleeding and itching are common symptoms of hemorrhoids that are internal. If you notice bright red blood in the toilet bowl, on toilet tissue or covering your stool, you might have internal hemorrhoids. Hemorrhoids of this type are often painless. The anal canal is lined with both visceral and somatic nerves. While somatic nerves have pain receptors, visceral nerves do not, they are only sensitive to pressure. Since internal hemorrhoids frequently occur in the upper region of the anal canal where there are only visceral nerves, they don’t hurt. In mild cases, bleeding disappears in a few days.

Undue and consistent pressure may cause internal hemorrhoids to expand further and descend into the anal canal, sometimes even protruding from the anal opening. Prolapsed hemorrhoids often resemble a cluster of grapes. Normally, these hemorrhoids appear during a bowel movement and automatically retract into the anus immediately after or need some gentle nudging. In rare cases, however, the hemorrhoid cannot be pushed back, causing what is called an incarcerated hemorrhoid, which needs medical attention. Prolapsed hemorrhoids can hurt under pressure from the anal muscles; you might experience a dull pain in the anus. When exposed to friction, they itch, bleed and secrete mucus. Inflamed prolapsed hemorrhoids often lead to dermatitis in the surrounding area. Even after prolapsed hemorrhoids retract into the anal canal, constipation can aggravate them, making symptoms recur again and again.

Symptoms of Hemorrhoids: External Hemorrhoids

External hemorrhoids appear in lumps around the outer periphery of the anus. The swollen blood vessels form small firm lumps, which sometimes look like an outgrowth of skin. When they are not inflamed, external hemorrhoids are brownish. Inflammation causes a reddish pink color and itching, bleeding and occasionally, pain. Hemorrhoids that are excruciatingly painful are thrombosed hemorrhoids where a blood clot forms beneath the skin. A thrombosed hemorrhoid takes on a dark red or bluish purple color. Rubbing further aggravates the problem. You would likely need to consult a physician who will use surgical procedures to drain the blood.

Depending on individual conditions, symptoms of hemorrhoidsdisappear naturally or persist and worsen. Suitable treatment and dietary and lifestyle changes prevent symptoms of hemorrhoids from recurring.