Hemorrhoids - varicose veins that are located near the membrane of the rectum. The nodes that are formed due to the presence of the disease often become inflamed and swollen. Such processes are manifested by itching and pain. There are frequent cases when the disease proceeds against the background of periodic or constant bleeding. Rarely, but still nodes may fall out. The statistics on this disease are disappointing - approximately every 5 inhabitants of the planet in one way or another felt the symptoms of hemorrhoids.
Danger of disease
First of all, hemorrhoids are a very unpleasant ailment that significantly reduces the quality of life. In addition, if the disease is not treated, complications of hemorrhoids may appear, you may even have to go for surgery. If you completely ignore the problem, then everything can end in death. The danger of the disease is that there is not a single chance that it will disappear by itself.
General clinical picture
As the hemorrhoidal nodes increase, the sick person feels discomfort in the anus, it seems to him that there is a foreign body. Some people have constipation, others have diarrhea, on the contrary. Head and stomach may hurt. General malaise and weakness are observed, and even urination problems may appear. Naturally, the lack of treatment or ignoring the problem can lead to serious complications of hemorrhoids.
Anemia
A disease can cause anemia or anemia. This is due to the fact that the amount of red blood cells, protein and hemoglobin in the blood decreases. Also, against the background of the development of hemorrhoids, the process of transporting oxygen to all cells of the body worsens. As a rule, anemia can develop against the background of a chronic form of hemorrhoids, due to the fact that blood loss constantly occurs, lasting not only for weeks, but also for months. In some cases, even foods and drugs that make up for the lack of iron do not help.
With anemia, a person feels constant weakness, he has a pale and dry skin, seizures may appear on the edges of the mouth. In such cases, the use of medications that contribute to replenishing the amount of iron in the body is justified. Naturally, the underlying disease, hemorrhoids, should be treated in parallel. In this case, as a rule, the removal of inflamed nodes is carried out.
Anal tears
One of the consequences and complications of hemorrhoids is the tear of the anus. This disease is characterized by the appearance of cracks that form on the mucosa and skin of the anorectal zone. Cracks are the result of injuries that occur when solid feces come out during bowel movements. Such a pathology can not be attributed to a harmless disease. According to patients' reviews, they are worried about constant itching and burning, pain, cramping in the sphincter and blood loss is observed.
Tears are amenable to conservative treatment. The main thing is that no infection joins them, or another disease does not appear, for example, paraproctitis or proctitis. If the tears are large and are already formed at 3 or 4 stages of hemorrhoids, then there is only one way - surgical intervention.
Anal sphincter insufficiency
This complication of hemorrhoids is inherent in the last stage of the disease, when the nodes grow excessively and practically fall out of the anus. Accordingly, the sphincter in the rectum is stretched, does not fulfill its function, and a person has gas incontinence, up to fecal incontinence. This is not only a physiological, but also a psychological problem that does not allow a normal existence in society. In such situations, two operations are required. The first is the operational removal of nodes. The second is muscle plastic in the anus.
Rectal bleeding
Photos of hemorrhoid complications are truly a terrifying sight, especially if they are accompanied by bleeding. The intensity of this phenomenon directly depends on the stage of the disease. According to patients, at the initial stage there are only small disseminations of blood in the feces, or blood on toilet paper. At later stages, the hemorrhoidal nodes grow, the intestinal lumen gradually closes and serious bleeding is already observed.
Causes of rectal bleeding
In most cases, hemorrhoids are accompanied by constipation, which actually enhances the inflammatory process. In turn, when a person sits on the toilet, he pushes for a long time and very hard, and in the process of release of solid feces, the mucous membrane is severely injured, as are the nodes. With each trip to the toilet, the bumps and mucous membrane are more and more injured, small wounds do not have time to heal, as a result, everything ends with bleeding.
Constipation can also cause the appearance of anal fissures that do not have time to heal, and again bleeding opens. However, some patients note that they have never had constipation, even, on the contrary, they suffer from diarrhea. This state of health can also cause rectal bleeding, and then anemia and anemia.
Anorectal Thrombosis
Another complication of hemorrhoids is thrombosis or thrombophlebitis. This problem is very dangerous, since it entails the development of many other complications. With a complication of hemorrhoids thrombophlebitis, the following symptoms are noted:
- pain that occurs completely unexpectedly and then becomes permanent, such a symptom is characteristic of thrombosed hemorrhoids ;
- swelling in the place where the thrombus formed;
- change in skin color in the area of a blood clot;
- on palpation, a blood clot is defined as a dense formation.
The more rare symptoms include the appearance of mucus in the feces, fever, burning and / or itching in the anus.
Quite often, thrombophlebitis becomes the cause of the development of purulent paraproctitis. This pathology is characterized by an inflammatory process on the tissues of the rectum, as a rule. In addition, blood clots interfere with the normal blood supply to tissues, which leads to tissue necrosis.
Of particular danger is the situation in which the infringement of hemorrhoidal nodes occurs. Signs of this condition are manifested already during the first 48-72 hours. They are expressed in the form of abundant blood discharge, problems with urination appear. According to reviews of some patients, their body temperature rose, during defecation they felt severe pain, as, indeed, during urination. This complication of hemorrhoids can be eliminated only in a hospital. Initially, measures are taken to remove the inflammatory process, then the node is set.
Necrosis of strangulated hemorrhoidal formations
Necrosis is the death of tissues in the affected area. Most often this occurs after infringement of hemorrhoidal nodes. They are rejected due to the fact that they cease to receive food, blood circulation is completely stopped.
There are two types of necrosis:
- partial, in which only some parts of the node die;
- complete, in such a situation, the rejection of the entire site and even the adjacent areas occurs.
Against the background of complete necrosis, additional ulcers often occur near the dying tissue.
Symptoms of necrosis are:
- heavy bleeding;
- unpleasant odor;
- sensation of a foreign object in the anus;
- darkening of the node or part thereof;
- problems with bowel movements;
- high body temperature.
The lack of treatment for necrosis often causes paraproctitis and blood poisoning. In this situation, only surgery will help.
Purulent discharge
Complications of hemorrhoids in women and men can occur in the form of purulent discharge, which is accompanied by a strong and unpleasant odor. Such discharge already clearly indicates that an inflammatory process has begun in the body against the background of an infectious disease, it is possible that even paraproctitis has already begun. This disease is characterized by an inflammatory process on fatty tissue around the sphincter and rectum. In the period when the acute phase begins, cavities are formed that are filled with pus, then fistulas appear, and pus comes out. It should also be understood that such cavities will never tighten on their own.
Problems after surgery
Are complications possible after removal of hemorrhoids? Reviews after surgery in most cases are positive. Many people for life forget about the problem with veins in the anus and live a full life. But, unfortunately, this is not always the case. Under any circumstances, surgery is a radical way, and it can lead to a number of complications. The absence of any complications after surgery largely depends on the skill of the doctor and the severity of the disease.
Common complications
The most common complications after ligation of hemorrhoids:
- Ishuria, or urinary retention. This consequence is most often found in men and appears approximately 24 hours after surgery. A provocateur of this phenomenon can be epidural anesthesia.
- Bleeding. Often this happens against the background of the fact that the doctor did not burn the vessels well enough. In such a situation, there is only one way out - consult a doctor so that he re-flashed the vessels.
- Exit of the rectum beyond the anus. Such a complication of external hemorrhoids is very rare and occurs only with the surgeon's mistake.
- Narrowing the anus. If the sutures are not placed correctly, then the narrowing of the anus may occur. It will not be possible to get rid of such a problem on your own, you will have to perform muscle plastic surgery.
- Infection Such a complication can occur not only through the fault of the doctor, but also in cases where the patient does not follow the rules of hygiene and does not use antiseptics. As a result, microbes get into the wound, suppuration occurs. Therapeutic measures consist of the use of antibacterial agents and an autopsy followed by washing of the sutures.
- Fistulas. This complication of internal hemorrhoids is extremely rare. The main reason is that the doctor unnecessarily seized the muscles in the process of suturing the wound. If an infection still joins this, then pathological tubules appear. It is possible to cure such a problem in a conservative and operational way.
And the most common complication in the postoperative period is soreness. Indeed, in the intestine and rectal valve there is a huge number of nerve endings. In particular, this symptom is characteristic of people with a low pain threshold. You can get rid of such a problem only by using analgesics.
According to some reviews, people have constipation after surgery. As the doctors say, this is a psychogenic constipation, to which excessively emotional people are prone. It's just that after the operation they are afraid of pain, are very worried, and as a result, constipation.
There is another complication - relapse. Even if the actions were completely correct, the patient followed all the recommendations, there is a likelihood of relapse. The cause of the return of the disease may be a pathology of the internal organs, strong physical activity or problems with bowel movements. In addition, hemorrhoids can reappear after childbirth or with the oncological disease in the gastrointestinal tract.
How to understand that complications started?
People who have the disease are aware of the symptoms of the disease, so it’s easy enough for them to determine that hemorrhoid complications have begun. In women and men, the symptoms are no different. Caution should be taken in the presence of the following problems after surgery:
- purulent discharge from the anus;
- pain lasting more than two consecutive weeks;
- fever;
- fever;
- bleeding, especially between bowel movements.
Prevention
To avoid complications after treatment, first of all, you should eat right, do everything so that there are no constipation. You should never forget about hygiene procedures after the act of defecation. If the work is sedentary, you should periodically change the position of the body so that there are no stagnant processes in the anus and pelvis. It is necessary to control the level of physical activity and prevent hypothermia of the body.