What is Piles?
Piles are hemorrhoids that become inflamed. Hemorrhoids are masses, clumps, cushions of tissue in the anal canal – they are full of blood vessels, support tissue, muscle and elastic fibers
Causes:
- Irregular bowel habits (constipation or diarrhea)
- Nutrition (low-fiber diet)
- Increased intra-abdominal pressure (prolonged straining)
- Pregnancy, genetics
- Absence of valves within the hemorrhoidal veins
- Aging.
- Obesity and sitting for long periods of time.
- During pregnancy, pressure from the fetus on the abdomen and hormonal changes cause the hemorrhoidal vessels to enlarge.
- Delivery also leads to increased intra-abdominal pressures
- Constipation
- Modern day lifestyle
- Irregular diet
Symptoms:
- Itching, rectal pain, and rectal bleeding.
- Mucous discharge and fecal incontinence.
- External hemorrhoids are painful, while internal hemorrhoids usually are not unless they become thrombosed or necrotic
- The most common symptom of internal hemorrhoids is bright red blood covering the stool.
- They may protrude through the anus.
- Symptoms of external hemorrhoids include painful swelling and a lump around the anus.
