Hemorrhoids in men occur between the ages of 30 and 50 years. Most often, the disease occurs at the age of 40 years. With hemorrhoids, the veins expand, which is accompanied by bleeding, severe pain, burning and prolapse of hemorrhoids.
The development of hemorrhoids in men is most often associated with professional activity; it affects office workers, drivers, programmers and salespeople, as well as men who engage in heavy physical labor and sports involving weight lifting. Constant tension and a sedentary lifestyle lead to stagnation of blood in the pelvic organs, gradual expansion of the veins and the development of hemorrhoids.
Hemorrhoids can be external or internal. With internal hemorrhoids, the hemorrhoids become inflamed in the rectum, and with external hemorrhoids, the nodes become inflamed in the anal canal and can fall out and cause bleeding. The disease can have 4 stages of development. At the last stage, hemorrhoids fall out and cannot be set on their own. Surgery required.
Hemorrhoids in men have a chronic and acute form. In the chronic form, symptoms appear in periods and bother the patient from time to time. The acute form of the disease causes severe pain, discomfort and the sensation of a foreign body in the rectum.
If hemorrhoids are treated incorrectly, they can cause dangerous complications: rectal prolapse, thrombosis, strangulation and prolapse of hemorrhoids, anemia.
The first signs of hemorrhoids
The disease at the initial stage passes without symptoms. From time to time, minor irritation may occur in the sphincter area. Often men do not pay special attention to this sign. There is no need to try to diagnose yourself; there are a lot of diseases with similar symptoms.
The main primary symptom is the feeling that there is a foreign body in the rectum. The reason for this is gradually enlarging and inflaming hemorrhoids . After defecation, a man does not feel relief.
When the first signs appear, you should immediately visit a proctologist, get a consultation and have an examination. This will help avoid further progression of the disease.
Reasons for development
Hemorrhoids are a type of varicose veins, so their characteristic feature is stagnation of blood in damaged vessels. The cause of its occurrence may be various factors. The most common factors that provoke blood stagnation are a sedentary lifestyle. Men who sit or stand for long periods of time at work the first to develop hemorrhoids This:
- drivers;
- cashiers;
- hairdressers;
- surgeons;
- office workers, etc.
There are also other factors that cause hemorrhoids in men:
- Constipation and difficulty in digestion. Most men like to eat a lot of spicy, fatty and fried foods with a lot of meat, which takes a long time to digest and causes blood to flow to the vessels of the pelvic organs. In addition, you can often see men with a sweet tooth, and the carbohydrates and fatty creams contained in sweets have a very detrimental effect on the gastrointestinal tract. And also, some men do not consume enough grains, vegetables and fruits, which causes constipation. If you don’t start watching your diet, you will be spoiled for it, since hemorrhoids occur in men due to constipation.
- Alcohol abuse. Nowadays, most men have the bad habit of relaxing with the help of alcohol, and it is one of the reasons for the appearance of hemorrhoids, since when drinking alcohol, the veins dilate and blood flow to the pelvic part increases, which is a further development of its stagnation.
- Prostatitis or other inflammatory diseases of the prostate gland. Since the rectum is very close to the prostate, inflammation in the male organ contributes to blood stagnation. Therefore, hemorrhoids and prostatitis are very related to each other.
- Lifting weights. It is not for nothing that men are called the stronger sex; it is considered common for them to rearrange and lift heavy objects. But when lifting weights, especially when done incorrectly, sharp intra-abdominal pressure occurs. If this happens constantly, then hemorrhoids are only a matter of time.
All of these factors only increase a man’s chance of getting hemorrhoids.
Based on medical data, the main cause of this disease is genetics.
Based on this, if a man has such a disease in his family, the likelihood of its occurrence is very high.
Symptoms of hemorrhoids
Signs such as the manifestation of hemorrhoids are subtle and for some reason are often ignored. But if you start treatment in the initial stages, you can cure it quite quickly. And also the speed of treatment depends on the nature of hemorrhoids.
Hemorrhoids are divided into the following types:
- Interior. This kind of form is the most common; its main symptom is inflammation of the nodes, which are located at a depth of 2.5-3 cm from the anus. If treatment is not started, after some time the nodes grow and lead to protrusion from the rectum.
- Outer. With this nature of the disease, the veins that run under the skin near the anus begin to become inflamed. As they develop, they begin to hang down along the edges of the anus in the form of fimbriae. Therefore, even at the initial stage of development, it is very difficult not to notice the appearance of bumps in the anal ring area.
- Combined. Approximately 40% of patients have both external and internal nodes at the same time.
Hemorrhoids occur in men and women almost equally. The main symptoms can be identified:
- during defecation or immediately after, there is a feeling of discomfort in the rectum;
- the appearance of blood in the stool;
- when lifting something heavy or drinking alcohol, bleeding from the anus opens;
- swelling of the rectum;
- feeling of irritation and burning;
- the presence of mucus in the stool;
- discomfort when sitting;
- constipation;
- nodes falling out.
How to recognize the disease?
At the initial stage, determining the presence of a disease is an extremely difficult task, since the disease practically does not manifest itself . But at the same time, there are some alarm bells - the first symptoms of hemorrhoids in men, which every man should focus on.
The first characteristic sign of this pathology is heaviness in the anal area . At first, this sensation occurs only before and after defecation, but then it becomes permanent.
In the early stages it is just discomfort, but then it feels as if there is a foreign body in the rectum. Sometimes the sensation will disappear for an indefinite period, but then return.
Another characteristic sign of the disease is bleeding . Most often, this factor manifests itself in later stages, but even during internal hemorrhoids, blood can flow from the anus.
Usually there is little of it and blood drops can be seen after a bowel movement on toilet paper. Sometimes they are noticed in the stool itself.
Attention ! Blood from the anus is a symptom that may not always indicate hemorrhoids, but also more serious diseases, including rectal fissures and intestinal cancer. There is no need to delay going to the doctor.
If you do not get help at the first manifestations of hemorrhoids, then the pathology moves into a more advanced stage. The first step is the prolapse of hemorrhoids, which will have to be reset into the body yourself. The feeling of heaviness will begin to be accompanied by tingling, and then by terrible itching - the anal passage will want to be scratched. The intimate part will begin to bleed with greater intensity, and mucous discharge will also appear - a sign of inflammatory processes in the intestines.
It is quite possible that characteristic swelling will appear near the anus, and sitting or defecating will be very painful . In the final stages of the disease, prolapsed hemorrhoids can no longer be reset into the body.
Our website provides comprehensive information about hemorrhoids.
- Here you will read: is it possible to ride a bicycle, how to walk and run correctly, take a bath, swim in reservoirs and go to the bathhouse;
- In the proposed sections you will find information about: the benefits of sports in treating the disease, yoga for hemorrhoids and a set of useful exercises;
- The following useful materials: is coffee harmful for hemorrhoids, whether people with the disease are accepted for military service in the army, in which cases sick leave is given for illness.
Stages of development
Doctors recognize 4 stages:
- If the nodes are just forming and do not cause much inconvenience to the patient. Painful sensations appear during bowel movements, as well as during prolonged sitting, and disappear after approximately 15 minutes. There is little or no bleeding.
- The nodes begin to come out of the rectum during defecation, however, they are reduced without any help after bowel movement. In addition to this, there is a feeling of a foreign body in the rectum, with internal hemorrhoids. If hemorrhoids are external, the nodes are visible to the naked eye. Depending on the stage of development, they acquire a blue or even purple tint.
- The nodes begin to fall out of the anus during each bowel movement, but are no longer able to return back. This can be done only with the help of hands.
- Hemorrhoids are unable to move back into the rectum. Even after returning them to their place, they can fall out again, regardless of what the patient does. This is caused by the large size of the nodes and weakness of the anal sphincter. In addition to this, frequent bleeding, pain and irritation in the anus appears, but they appear not only during bowel movements, but also constantly make themselves felt.
Treatment of hemorrhoids in men
The treatment method depends on the stage of development of the disease. Specialists use 3 methods in treatment : conservative, surgical and minimally invasive.
If you start treatment at the initial stage, then everything will end quickly and be completely cured. In case of chronic hemorrhoid disease, in order to avoid remission, it is necessary to carry out prevention. It is more difficult for men to cure hemorrhoids than for women, this is due to their reluctance to give up bad habits.
For the purpose of cure, doctors prescribe both the use of drugs and traditional methods.
These can be suppositories or various ointments for hemorrhoids. If the conservative method does not produce results, then doctors use the following treatment methods:
- sclerotherapy;
- laser coagulation;
- doping;
- cryodestruction.
How to treat hemorrhoids?
The following medications are used in the treatment of hemorrhoids:
- Anti-inflammatory ointments, gels to eliminate swelling, burning and pain;
- Phlebotonics improve the tone of vascular walls and have a positive effect on blood circulation;
- Anti-inflammatory medications in the form of suppositories, tablets (steroids can also be used);
- Painkillers to relieve pain;
- Antiseptic medications (suppositories, ointments) reduce the risk of infection;
- When thrombosis develops, thrombolytics are used to dissolve blood clots.
Treatment at home
Important:
If conservative methods have not shown sufficient effectiveness or the disease is at the last stage, surgical intervention is indicated.
The attending physician will answer how many days of sick leave are required for hemorrhoids, depending on the individual situation. On average, sick leave is given for a week.
Treatment of advanced hemorrhoids is difficult, and surgical intervention is not always able to completely eliminate all problems and is fraught with complications, so you should go to the hospital as early as possible.
Living with hemorrhoids requires following medical recommendations, giving up bad habits, and correcting your diet. Once the condition is resolved, it is important to continue to eat healthy and come in for regular checkups.
Disease prevention
To prevent the occurrence of this unpleasant disease and avoid the consequences, it is necessary to carry out prevention. It should be carried out both for healthy people and for those who have already been treated.
Prevention has several points:
- if your work involves a sedentary lifestyle, you need to get up and walk every few hours;
- a soft chair at work should be replaced with a harder one;
- Avoid eating foods that cause constipation;
- after defecation, use only soft toilet paper so as not to irritate the anus;
- When defecating, you need to be extremely relaxed and avoid tension.
During the course of the disease, there are periods of exacerbation and remission, so hemorrhoids at any stage can disappear over time. But this does not mean that the disease has passed and there is no reason to worry. Hemorrhoids return as soon as favorable conditions appear, for example, a feast with a lot of alcohol and not the most healthy food. At the same time, it often progresses and causes even more inconvenience for everyone.
How dangerous are hemorrhoids in any form?
To prevent complications from hemorrhoids, you should be aware of its causes and how to recognize the disease. At the first stage of its development, the disease often occurs without pronounced symptoms, and there are practically no external signs.
This indicates the development of internal form. This type of disease is not life-threatening, but it threatens to develop an external form that is more dangerous and neglected. Sometimes at this stage a feeling of discomfort may appear after defecation. What happens if hemorrhoids are not treated at this stage? In this case, hemorrhoids complications move to the next stage.
At the second stage of development, the hemorrhoidal node may fall out, and other, more pronounced symptoms appear - pain, bleeding, and other unpleasant manifestations. Such hemorrhoids, if left untreated, go to another stage when the nodes fall out almost constantly.
During the process of defecation, intense pain is felt, which is replaced by itching.
If it is not treated at this stage of development, advanced hemorrhoids become dangerous, since the nodes will fall out not only in the process of visiting the toilet, but also in a calm state.
According to statistical indicators, the consequences of hemorrhoids in women are not as common as the consequences of hemorrhoids in men. This is due to the fact that most women often consult a doctor at the initial stages of the development of the disease; accordingly, it requires timely treatment, which can prevent complications of hemorrhoids (the most dangerous of which is death from tumor processes).
