Hemroids or hemorrhoids (also commonly known as piles) are enlargement and inflammation of the anorectal veins. They are a very common problem affecting about 5-10 % of the American population. Also, over 50% of the individuals over 50 years old suffer from hemroids.

What causes hemroids?

The most common cause of hemroids is execessive straining during bowel movements, usually form chronic constipation and sometimes from diarrhea.

Obesity is associated with increased incidence of hemroids due to increased pressure inside the anorectal veins.

Pregnancy is also associated with a much increased incidence of hemroids due to hormonal changes causing weakness of venous walls, increased pressure inside the pelvic veins by the pregnant uterus and associated constipation. Also, straining during delivery may worsen hemroids symptoms.

Liver diseases causing portal hypertension leads to opening of the portocaval anastomosis in the rectal walls causing the development of hemroids.

Prolonged sitting leads to increased pressure inside the veins causing hemroids.

Hemroids symptoms

Many hemroids cases are asymptomatic i.e. showing no symptoms.

In internal hemroids, the most common symptom is bright-red blood covering the stools or on the toilet paper. Pain is minimal or absent, unless the hemroids have prolapsed through the anus. These are called prolapsed hemroids.

In external hemrois, the main complaint is a painful mass around the anus, which becomes hard and severly painful when a blood clot forms inside it. This is called thrombosed hemroids.

How to treat and prevent hemroids?

Measures used for prevention and treatment of hemroids are the same, and depend on reversal of the process that led to the development of hemroids.

Dietary changes. These include increasing the dietary fibers and consuming sufficient amounts of water to prevent constipation. Laxatives are avoided because they cause diarrhea which increase straining.

Toilet retraining.  Avoid staining during bowel movement. Avoid holding stools, go to the toilet once you feel the urge to pass stools.

• Effective hemroids treatment should be centered on reversal of the causes specially constipation and other causes of straining.
• Symptomatic treatment like anesthetic or analgesic creams or suppositories is usually ineffective in treating hemroids.
• Herbal remedies like Comfrey root powder and Horse chestnut, seem to be more effective and more safe compared to traditionally used creams and suppositories.
• Recently used alternative formulas as Venapro are proved to be the most effective
  preparations available for hemroids treatments .
• Non-surgical and surgical procedures performed to get rid of hemroids have some disadvantages, making most doctors reserve them to the very severe cases which persist for long time and can not be cured by other methods.