Zainab Ilyas

· 25 Dec 2021

Follow Following

What does a Hemorrhoids look like?

Blood vessels in the smooth muscles of the rectum and anus walls are known as haemorrhoids (Piles). They're a typical component of the body, and they're found where little arteries and veins meet. Smooth muscles and connective tissue cushion them, and they are classed according to where they are in respect to the pectinate line, which divides the upper 2/3 and lower 1/3 of the anus. Because of the sort of cells that coat haemorrhoids and the nerves that produce sensation, this is an essential anatomic differentiation.

What are the internal and external hemorrhoids?

Internal haemorrhoids are found above the pectinate line and are lined with cells similar to those seen in the remainder of the intestines. External haemorrhoids appear below the line and are coated with skin-like cells.

What are the symptoms of hemorrhoids?

Hemorrhoids only become a problem when they enlarge and cause itching, discomfort, and/or bleeding.

What do external and internal hemorrhoids look like ?

Hemorrhoidal tissue cannot be seen in its normal state since it must first expand and become irritated or form a clot in order to produce symptoms. External haemorrhoids that have swelled or internal haemorrhoids that have prolapsed can be seen outside the anus, but internal haemorrhoids cannot be seen since they stay inside the anus. Because of the blood clot retained inside the enlarged blood artery, a thrombosed hemorrhoid may look as a mass at the anal margin, projecting from the anus, and will be dark bluish in colour. Hemorrhoids that have not thrombosed will look as a rubbery mass. When more than one swollen hemorrhoid arises at the same time, it is called a cluster hemorrhoid.

What causes hemorrhoids?

While haemorrhoids are a natural part of the body, most individuals and healthcare providers refer to them as an aberrant discovery since they only appear when they enlarge and create issues.

When the pressure in the tiny vessels that make up haemorrhoids rises, they expand and engorge with blood, causing haemorrhoids to enlarge and engorge with blood. This leads them to become larger, resulting in symptoms. Several things can contribute to an increase in blood pressure:

A low-fiber diet and smaller-caliber faeces require a person to strain when having a bowel movement, which raises blood vessel pressure.

Hemorrhoid swelling is linked to pregnancy, and is thought to be caused by the larger uterus exerting more pressure on the rectum and anus. Furthermore, hormonal changes associated with pregnancy may cause the muscles that support the rectum and anus to weaken.

Sitting on the toilet for an extended period of time might raise the pressure within the hemorrhoid blood vessels.

Obesity

Colon cancer Diarrhea, both acute and chronic

Rectal surgery in the past

Injury to the spinal cord and a loss of erect posture

What are symptoms and signs of hemorrhoids?

Rectal and anal problems are most commonly caused by haemorrhoids. The following are the most prevalent signs of a complaint:

Inflamed haemorrhoids are characterised by painless bleeding from the anal region, itching in the anal area, discomfort in the anal area, swelling, and a lump in the anus.

Rectal bleeding or blood in the stool is never normal, and while it may be caused by a relatively benign reason such as haemorrhoids, more serious causes can be life-threatening. Ulcer bleeding, diverticulitis, inflammatory bowel disease, and malignancies are among them. If you experience rectal bleeding, call your doctor or go to the nearest emergency room right away. If the person is on blood-thinning medicine, this is very crucial.

Swelling can occur when an internal hemorrhoid gets irritated. Because there are no pain fibres linked to the veins above the pectinate line, this does not induce pain. Hemorrhoids' thinner lining can be scraped off by passing a firm stool, resulting in painless bleeding. Swollen haemorrhoids, on the other hand, can produce discomfort by spasming the muscles that surround the rectum and anus, especially if they protrude or prolapse through the anus. At the anal edge, a lump can be felt. Internal haemorrhoids can thrombose (clot), causing excruciating agony.

Inflamed haemorrhoids can leak mucus, creating pruritis ani, an inflammation of the skin surrounding the anus that causes burning and itching. Other causes of itching include yeast infections and other skin diseases, as well as parasites such as pinworms. Most importantly, just as blood in the stool should not be dismissed as an indication of colon cancer, anal itching or bleeding should not be dismissed as a symptom of haemorrhoids since it might be a sign of an anal cancer tumour.

External haemorrhoids respond differently since they are covered by "normal skin" and contain pain fibres. When an underlying vein within the hemorrhoid clogs, producing acute agony from the fast straining of the skin covering haemorrhoids, a thrombosed external hemorrhoid develops. At the anus, a firm, painful bump can be felt. External haemorrhoids can also generate extra skin tags near the anal margin, which can make cleaning after a bowel movement difficult, leading to secondary skin infections.

How are hemorrhoids diagnosed?

Itching, discomfort, rectal fullness or lump, and bleeding are all frequent hemorrhoid symptoms. The diagnosis is determined by collecting a medical history and doing a physical examination. Constipation, hard bowel motions, and straining when going to the bathroom may be mentioned in the medical history. Other questions may be addressed to rule out malignancies, inflammatory bowel disease, and gastrointestinal bleeding as causes of rectal bleeding.

To confirm the diagnosis, a physical examination is undertaken, which involves a rectal check with a finger to feel for atypical lumps or masses. Internal haemorrhoids, on the other hand, are rarely felt. If there is severe discomfort or swelling, the rectal exam may be postponed. Additionally, anal fissures or breaks in the skin surrounding the anus may be linked to haemorrhoids and constipation. A rectal exam is quite unpleasant due to the discomfort and spasms that accompany it.

Anoscopy may be considered if the health care provider is worried that the symptoms, particularly rectal bleeding, are not due to haemorrhoids. Anoscopy is a process in which a lighted tube is placed into the anus to examine it. If there is a worry that the bleeding is coming from other parts of the colon, a sigmoidoscopy or colonoscopy may be suggested. A gastroenterologist or surgeon commonly performs these operations.

Blood tests may be ordered depending on the circumstances. The haemoglobin or red blood cell count may be examined if there has been a lot of bleeding. If the patient is on warfarin (Coumadin), an INR (international normalised ratio) or PT (protime) test may be ordered to ensure that the blood is being thinned appropriately. Please keep in mind that there are a variety of novel anticoagulant drugs available to "thin" the blood, and their effectiveness cannot be determined by standard blood testing.

How are hemorrhoids treated?

There are several treatment options available after hemorrhoidal symptoms appear, depending on the circumstances and severity of the haemorrhoids. The degree of prolapse below the pectinate line into the anal canal is used to grade internal haemorrhoids.

Grade 1: The internal hemorrhoid bulges into the canal but does not entirely prolapse or collapse into it. It's possible that they will bleed.

Grade 2: When straining for a bowel movement or passage of flatus, the hemorrhoid protrudes over the anal margin, but returns to its normal internal position soon the straining stops.

Grade 3: The hemorrhoid may extend over the anal margin without causing any discomfort, requiring the patient to manually push it inside.

#hemorrhoid
#bleeding
#causes