Chronic hemorrhoids: causes, treatment, proctologist consultation

Recently, more and more patients have come to see a proctologist complaining of pain and bleeding from the anus. In half of the people who apply, hemorrhoids are found, and more often in a chronic form. But what is the cause of the disease? How to protect yourself from it and how can a doctor help?

Hemorrhoids - what is this disease?

Hemorrhoids are a pathology directly related to the inflammatory process, the pathological expansion of hemorrhoidal veins that form nodules around the rectum. Often a diagnosis is made of "chronic hemorrhoids" (ICD 10), although the disease does not have this particular formulation, but any sluggish form falls under it. This is one of the most common coloproctological pathologies, which affects up to 10 people out of 100.

The disease is found in both women and men, but chronic hemorrhoids are more often diagnosed in a strong half of humanity, and all because of the fact that they seek qualified help late. But what are the causes of this disease, which is a provoking factor?

The causes of hemorrhoids

According to a proctologist who examines patients with hemorrhoids, there are many reasons for the appearance of this disease, but more often the pathology develops due to such factors:

1. Lack of exercise.
2. Work associated with constant sitting, for example at the computer.

These two factors are considered the main causes of hemorrhoids. Most of the patients who came to the doctor admit that they have sedentary work, and they do not move much in everyday life.

But there are other reasons for the appearance of chronic hemorrhoids:

• Hard physical work, weight lifting.
• Improper nutrition: the diet contains only fried and fatty foods, but there are almost no vegetables and fruits.
• Heredity.
• Pregnancy and childbirth in the female half.
• Infectious diseases.

Chronic hemorrhoids are of various types. What types of pathology exist and how to recognize them?

Types of hemorrhoids

Hemorrhoids can be congenital or acquired. The latter is primary, which arose as an independent disease, and secondary, if it is a complication of another pathology, for example, prostate adenomas in men.

Depending on the location of hemorrhoidal nodes, the following varieties of this disease are distinguished:

• Inner.
• Outdoor.
• Mixed.

Pathology can occur both for a long time without complication of the process, and acutely.

But most often, a proctologist discovers a chronic form of hemorrhoids in his patients. It all starts with minor precursors. The patient feels a slight discomfort in the anus, and after that bleeding appears at the end of the bowel movement. This period of the disease lasts a very long time, it is characterized by phases of remission, when the patient does not complain about anything. Therefore, patients often seek qualified help very late.

Gradually, the disease begins to progress, during bowel movements pain occurs, and they can intensify. Blood excretions during bowel movements now become regular, and their intensity can be different, from a few drops to severe bleeding, as a result of which anemia develops. Hemorrhoidal nodes become larger, which ultimately leads to their loss.

Depending on how much the hemorrhoids have increased , chronic hemorrhoids are divided into 4 stages:

1. Slight blood discharge from the anus appears, but the hemorrhoidal nodes do not fall out. So hemorrhoids begin to appear, the initial stage ends there.
2. Hemorrhoidal nodes during bowel movements fall out, and after it are self-correcting.
3. At this stage, the nodes fall out, and you have to set them by hand.
4. And at the fourth stage, the nodes fall out not only during bowel movements, but also when coughing, sneezing, and any even the smallest load, but it is already impossible to fix them yourself, you need the help of a specialist.

Symptoms of chronic hemorrhoids

Chronic hemorrhoids do not always show symptoms immediately. Very often, the doctor can detect a pathology after the patient has asked for help with another disease. In most cases, the patient does not even imagine that he has hemorrhoids in a chronic form until the disease passes into a severe and noticeable form.

For the chronic form, the following symptoms are characteristic:

1. Bleeding from the anus.
2. Itching and burning in the anus.
3. Severe pain and a feeling that a foreign body is present in the rectum.
   

In the second stage of the disease, hemorrhoids appear.

With the appearance of such symptoms, the question arises of which doctor to seek help from.

Proctologist: help with hemorrhoids

When the first symptoms of hemorrhoids appeared, you need to seek help from a qualified specialist so that he can correctly diagnose. A proctologist in Moscow can receive appointments both in government clinics and in private rooms.

For example, patients leave good reviews about specialists working in the Euro-Med clinic near the Mayakovskaya metro station, the Yauza clinical hospital, the coloproctology treatment and diagnostic center, and many other institutions.

A proctologist in the capital, as in any other city, is a narrow-profile specialist who diagnoses and treats diseases of the rectum and anus.

At the doctor’s appointment

But before going to the proctologist, you need to prepare. The first thing to do before visiting is to cleanse your intestines. Cleaning is carried out the night before or in the morning with the help of Mikrolaks enema.

You need to have a towel or wet wipes with you. It is definitely worth remembering when the disease appeared, and how it manifested itself. It is necessary to take an outpatient card, which indicates all chronic pathologies and previous operations. All this may be needed to determine the exact cause of the disease.

A proctologist begins with a conversation with the patient, during which complaints, symptoms of the disease and the timing of its appearance are clarified. After this, an inspection follows. The doctor finds out the severity of the pathology, the form of hemorrhoids, and only then prescribes the appropriate treatment.

Possible complications of hemorrhoids

If you do not detect chronic internal hemorrhoids in time, then there is a likelihood of serious complications that will be very difficult to treat in the future. The disease becomes acute, severe pain in the anus appears , the nodes become dense, the temperature rises, and the general condition of the patient worsens significantly. There are three degrees of acute chronic hemorrhoids:

1. Thrombosis without the presence of inflammation.
2. With the inflammatory process of hemorrhoids.
3. Thrombosis complicated by an inflammatory process of subcutaneous tissue.

The acute form of the disease of the third degree requires urgent medical attention. Since in advanced forms, when hemorrhoids are not treated, such complications often develop:

1. Heavy bleeding.
2. Edema of the anus.
3. Purulent paraproctitis.
4. Necrosis of hemorrhoid tissue .

A proctologist in Moscow and in any medical institution in the country will be able to detect necrosis of hemorrhoidal nodes, because the nodes turn black. In this case, the patient will no longer be able to independently help himself, and specialist intervention is indispensable.

Conservative treatment of chronic hemorrhoids

When chronic hemorrhoids worsen, the doctor must urgently begin treatment, only in this case serious consequences can be avoided. The treatment of chronic hemorrhoids begins with conservative methods.

The external process is treated with ointments: Relief, Relief Ultra, Hepatrombin G, Proctosedil.

They contain several basic components that allow you to:

• Eliminate the pain syndrome.
• Remove the swelling of the node.
• Improve blood flow in the node.
• Dissolve blood clots.
• Remove itching and unpleasant burning sensation.

If the nodes are internal, then in this case the ointments will be ineffective, it is more advisable to use candles. They are put up to 4 times a day. If conservative methods do not help cure hemorrhoids, the doctor prescribes minimally invasive methods:

• Ligation of nodes with latex rings.
• Sclerotherapy.
• Cryotherapy
• Infrared photocoagulation.

If these methods also do not give the desired results, then surgical intervention is recommended.

Treatment of hemorrhoids with surgery

The operation to remove hemorrhoids, cracks in the anus, genital warts and other formations is performed under general anesthesia. In addition to the classical procedure for removing hemorrhoids, Longo's surgery and the TGD technique are also often used.

Longo's operation involves the removal of nodes using a circular endostapler. This procedure is recommended in order to treat hemorrhoids of stages 1 and 2. But on the third, anoplasty is also added to it.

The TGD technique (transanal hemorrhoidal desarterization) is based on sewing on hemorrhoidal arteries using an endorectal ultrasound probe. The main objective of this method is the desolation of the cavernous tissue of the hemorrhoidal nodes. Used in the initial stages and the third, but with the addition of anoplasty.

Hemorrhoids and traditional medicine

Chronic folk medicine is very effective in treating hemorrhoids . Good results are given by leech therapy. Thanks to their effects, the body's immune system is activated. Leeches remove toxins and toxic substances. With hemorrhoids, they are placed on the coccyx or sacrum. Thanks to them, the patient gets rid of severe pain and bleeding. But it is worth remembering that for patients with hypotension and poor blood coagulation, leeches are contraindicated.

Also very good results in the treatment of hemorrhoids have shown such recipes of alternative medicine:

• Melt 7 g of propolis, 80 g of petroleum jelly and 10 g of lanolin in a water bath, bringing to a boil. After thorough mixing, until the mixture is obtained in the form of a cream, hemorrhoid cones are lubricated with such a composition. After 3-5 procedures, the disease ceases to bother.
• Mix 50 g of crushed marigold flowers with 200 g of internal pork fat and bring to a boil in a water bath. Store the finished ointment in the refrigerator. She can lubricate the cones or put tampons in the anus.
• Bleeding chronic combined hemorrhoids will help remove grass gorse. 25 g of chopped fruit is poured into 500 ml of olive oil and insisted for 7 days. Take 1 tbsp. l in the morning on an empty stomach. After an hour, you can have breakfast, after which you can drink tea with the fruit of the gorse.

There are many good and time-tested folk recipes, but it is worth remembering that before using them, you need to consult a doctor.

Preventive measures for hemorrhoids

Hemorrhoids - a chronic disease that can progress or, conversely, do not bother for a long time. To prevent pathology, doctors recommend preventative measures:

1. Monitor the work of the intestines, it should be soft and free. The first thing to do is to deal with stool disorders. Patients with frequent constipation most often suffer from hemorrhoids.
2. Proper bowel hygiene. Do not use toilet paper that is too hard or that contains too many harmful substances that can cause skin irritation around the anus.
3. Cool washing and drinking water. To prevent pain during hemorrhoids, it is recommended to take a cold shower and drink three times a day before meals in a glass of cold water. Cool baths with potassium permanganate are also advised .
4. Endure itching. If the anus is very itchy, do not touch it. Combing can lead to damage to the nodes and, as a result, to increased bleeding.
5. Do not push in the toilet and do not lift weights. This is a very important point for people who have a predisposition to hemorrhoids.
6. Regular warm baths. It is necessary to sit in the bathtub with warm water as often as possible, while it is important that the knees are raised, this will reduce pain in hemorrhoids.
7. It is worth watching for excess weight. Overweight can aggravate the position of a patient with a predisposition to hemorrhoids.
8. Avoid hypothermia. It can lead to circulatory disorders, and this will provoke an exacerbation of the disease.
9. Sedentary work. People who spend most of the day in a sitting position need to do at least a simple exercise and take walks in the fresh air.

Well, of course, we must not forget about proper nutrition. The exclusion of certain foods from the diet will help get rid of hemorrhoids faster.

Nutrition for chronic hemorrhoids

Chronic hemorrhoids will be easier to cure if you follow the recommendations for proper nutrition. It is better to give preference to such products:

• In any quantity, lean meat.
• With soft dietary fiber (prunes, dried apricots and figs).
• Fresh fruits, especially apples, bananas and grapes, you can also drink stewed fruit made from these fruits.
• Unfinished cookies.
• More cereals, especially pearl barley, oatmeal and barley.
• Boiled and fresh vegetables, salads with them, but seasoned with olive oil.
• Nuts and wild berries.
• Mineral water without gas, containing sulfates and magnesium.
• Any oil, including olive, cream and pumpkin.
• Dairy products, especially with bifidobacteria.
• Fresh greens.
• Soups on low-fat broth or vegetable.

Chronic hemorrhoids do not accept in the diet such products that will only provoke its exacerbation:

• High alcohol drinks.
• Spicy, fried and too salty foods.
• Legumes, white cabbage, products that enhance gas formation.
• Sorrel, radish and turnip.
• Fresh milk.
• Coffee, strong tea and chocolate.
• Pepper, adjika, mustard.
• Rye bread.
• Drinks with gas and sugar.
• Eggs and cottage cheese fatty varieties.
• Refractory fats, especially mutton.
• These types of fruits: blueberries, quinces, cornel, pomegranates, lingonberries, pears.

Hemorrhoids

With a sedentary lifestyle and sedentary work, it is enough to simply earn hemorrhoids. The initial stage will quickly move into a more complex type, and in order to prevent this, special exercises can be recommended:

1. To improve blood circulation, you need to walk, raising your knees high and placing your legs crosswise, one in front of the other.
2. Sitting on a hard chair, the back is straight, the body is slightly tilted forward - to strain the muscles in the anus.
3. Lying on the floor, hands lie along the body, squeeze and unclench the buttocks, slightly drawing the rectum into itself.
4. Also, lying on the floor with slightly raised legs, do the exercise “scissors”: to spread and move the legs, slightly crossing them.
5. Lying cross legs, rhythmically tighten the muscles of the buttocks and anus.
6. Lying on your back doing an exercise bike.
   

Such exercise will be the best prevention and help people with sedentary work to protect themselves from exacerbation of hemorrhoids.

Any disease, including hemorrhoids, is better to prevent than to treat. But if it so happened that the disease made itself felt, you need not self-medicate, but seek qualified help from a good doctor in Moscow or another city. Only a specialist will recommend effective treatment.