Haemorrhoids, which is a condition when veins in your rectum or under the skin around the anus swell. These swollen blood vessels can turn bowel movement into an intensely painful experience. According to research published in the year 2017 by The Indian Journal of Surgery, half the men and women in India above the age of 50 may develop the symptoms of haemorrhoids during their lifetime. Even though piles are rarely dangerous, if left ignored, they can lead to serious health complications.
Types of Piles (Haemorrhoids)
Haemorrhoids are classified into 4 different categories- internal haemorrhoids, prolapsed haemorrhoids, external haemorrhoids, and thrombosed haemorrhoids.
• Internal Haemorrhoids
Internal haemorrhoids are swollen veins that develop deep within the rectum. Due to their location, they are not visible or palpable, and rarely cause noticeable symptoms due to the fact that there are no pain nerves in the rectum but their presence is marked with the symptom of bleeding through the anus. Internal haemorrhoids are mostly harmless and go away on their own.
All the same, larger ones can cause symptoms such as pain, itching or a burning sensation. A lump may also be felt near the anus. There may be rectal bleeding as well during bowel movements.
• Prolapsed Haemorrhoids
When internal haemorrhoids swell and sticks outside anus the situation is called as prolapsed haemorrhoids. These lumps cause discomfort or pain along with itchiness and burning. Prolapsed haemorrhoids can be graded according to the extent of the protrusion.
• Grade I – Internal haemorrhoids with no prolapse.
• Grade II – Prolapse occurs when there is increased pressure in the rectal or anal area, such as straining when passing stool. However, the haemorrhoid retracts into the rectum on its own after a bowel movement.
• Grade III – Similar to Grade II, haemorrhoids stick out of the anus during bowel movements, but in this case, they don’t retract back on their own afterwards. Instead, they will need to be pushed back in.
• Grade IV – The prolapsed haemorrhoids protrude out of the anus and cannot be pushed back into their normal positions. At this stage, the haemorrhoids run the risk of becoming strangulated, a serious and emergency condition where blood supply to the haemorrhoid has been cut off due to pressure, resulting in intense and sudden pain.
Depending on the grade, a prolapsed haemorrhoid can be treated through diet and lifestyle modifications, rubber band ligation, sclerotherapy or piles surgery.
• External Haemorrhoids
External haemorrhoids are usually the first thing people think of when they hear the word haemorrhoids. These are visible and palpable lumps that form on the skin around the anus.. They are formed in the outer lining of the anal creating extreme discomfort and pain. They are sometimes invisible and the other times develop as a lump. These can also form blood clots within the mass that slips down.However, because external haemorrhoids are formed outside of the body, symptoms like pain are more severe, and for some people, the symptoms can disrupt daily activities such as sitting, doing physical activities or during bowel movements.
• Thrombosed Haemorrhoids
A thrombosed haemorrhoid is an internal or external haemorrhoid in which a blood clot, called thrombus, is formed. Being a serious complication of an untreated haemorrhoid, a thrombosed haemorrhoid causes more severe symptoms, including intense pain, burning, itching, redness and swelling. These swollen bulges around anus are blood clots within the haemorrhoid tissue. Due to lack of blood supply to rectal tissue, thrombosed haemorrhoids need to be attended to urgently to prevent severe complications so thrombosed haemorrhoids require immediate medical attention. Its main treatment is a surgical procedure known as a thrombectomy, where the blood clot within the haemorrhoid is cut and drained. A thrombectomy is different from a haemorrhoidectomy or piles surgery, which is surgery to remove the haemorrhoid.
