Hemorrhoids are painfully enlarged venous nodes near the anus.
If this node occurs outside of the anus, doctors talk about external hemorrhoids. Internal hemorrhoids develop inside the rectum from veins located under its mucous membrane, and brings the patient much more trouble.
I must say that cavernous venous cavities under the mucous membrane of the rectum and in the anal area are in every healthy person. Filling with blood when straining, they turn into an elastic cushion that protects the surrounding tissues from the traumatic effects of solid feces.
Pathology can occur when there is a violation of the outflow of blood from the cavities, as is the case with thrombosis (acute hemorrhoids), as well as with abnormal stretching of the venous walls ( chronic hemorrhoids ).
Why hemorrhoids develop more often in men than in women
In men, hemorrhoids are 3-5 times more common than in women. What is the reason for this blatant gender inequity?
Here the opinions of experts were divided. Some researchers are convinced that nature has taken more care of the structure of female vessels, preparing expectant mothers to overload the vascular bed during pregnancy and childbirth. Thus, the male sex has weaker blood vessels and, as a result, an innate tendency to develop hemorrhoids.
Other scientists believe that the reason for male ills is the lifestyle characteristic of the modern city dweller, which contributes to the stagnation of blood in the small pelvis. As a result, the organs of the lower abdominal cavity are affected, primarily the prostate gland and rectum.
The causes of hemorrhoids
The main cause of hemorrhoids is a genetic defect that causes congenital weakness of the walls of the venous vessels. However, for the development of signs of pathology, the influence of additional resolving factors is necessary:
• inappropriate nutrition and / or diseases of the digestive system, leading to a violation of the stool;
• irritating effects of spicy and salty foods;
• bad habits (alcohol, smoking, reading on the toilet);
• diseases of the pelvic organs;
• obesity of the “male” type (“beer” belly);
• chronic cough;
• work in a sitting position;
• sedentary lifestyle.
Men more often suffer from bad habits, less often seek help from doctors. In addition, the development of internal hemorrhoids in men is often promoted by “male” diseases that do not occur in women (prostatitis, prostate adenoma) or are rare (“beer” belly). Therefore, it is not surprising that men suffer from hemorrhoids much more often.
One important thing to mention here is: many people confuse anal skin tags as anal fissure or something like that. But they are not that serious. You can easily take care of hemorrhoid skin tags at home.
How are hemorrhoids in men
A typical cause of an acute attack of hemorrhoids in men is stool disorder – long-term constipation or diarrhea. In women, an acute attack for the first time usually occurs during pregnancy or childbirth and responds well to conservative treatment.
In men, the disease is more often chronic. Often, there are initially chronic forms of the disease, when the symptoms are not expressed enough, so that the patient seeks a doctor at the later stages of the development of the disease.
Hemorrhoids in men are often combined with prostate pathology. Inflammatory processes in the prostate provoke varicose veins, and the accumulation of blood in the hemorrhoids negatively affects the condition of the prostate gland. These diseases mutually stimulate each other’s development, so they should be treated simultaneously.
Symptoms of hemorrhoids in men
A classic attack of acute hemorrhoids in men develops against a background of intestinal dysfunction, less often after culinary, alcoholic or sexual excesses.
The main mechanism for the development of an acute attack is vascular thrombosis of the node. The disease proceeds with a sharp pain syndrome, aggravated by emptying the intestines, and in severe cases – when walking, coughing, straining, laughing. Pain is often combined with bleeding. In such cases, patients find unchanged blood on the surface of the feces.
If the disease becomes chronic, the pain syndrome subsides. Before the exacerbation of the process, the internal hemorrhoidal node may remind of itself with the only symptom – itching in the anus. This is a nonspecific symptom that occurs in many diseases (prostatitis, helminths, etc.).
When thrombosis occurs in chronically enlarged hemorrhoids, the clinical picture of acute hemorrhoids develops. Such exacerbations are usually associated with the same reasons as the initial attack.
Stages of chronic internal hemorrhoids
There are four stages in the development of chronic internal hemorrhoids. At stage I of development, the hemorrhoid does not leave the rectal cavity. However, already at this stage, the patient may develop anemia due to chronic blood loss.
At stage II of the disease, during an exacerbation of the process, hemorrhoids can come out of the anus and adjust back on their own. If at this stage the patient does not receive proper treatment, the disease continues to develop and the nodes increase so much that they cannot adjust themselves.
At stage III of internal hemorrhoids, patients are forced to set the nodes by hand, and at IV, the last stage, the hemorrhoid becomes irreducible.
Diagnosis of hemorrhoids in men
The diagnosis of hemorrhoids is easy to establish, since the pathology is easily detected during a standard examination in the proctologist’s office. However, your doctor may order additional tests to rule out other lower bowel disorders.
Symptoms characteristic of chronic enlargement of hemorrhoids, such as pain in the rectum and itching in the anus, are found in chronic prostatitis. Therefore, in controversial cases, doctors may prescribe an ultrasound of the prostate.
If the doctor decides on the operation, standard examinations are prescribed: blood and urine tests, tests for blood-borne infections, an electrocardiogram, etc.
Treatments for acute and chronic hemorrhoids
The first acute attack of hemorrhoids is treated conservatively. Chronic forms of the disease are subject to surgical treatment.
In the early stages, the “gentlest” methods of removing hemorrhoids are shown:
• sclerotherapy (introduction of a substance into the cavity of the node, which causes the “sticking” of the walls of the node);
• infrared coagulation (cauterization of the leg of the node with a heat ray);
• laser surgery (laser sealing).
Good results are obtained by minimally invasive surgery to ligate (bandage) hemorrhoids with latex rings. According to indications, such an intervention is carried out at the I-III stage of the development of the disease.
At the IV stage of development, the only method of getting rid of the disease is a traumatic surgical operation of hemorrhoidectomy.
Conservative treatment of hemorrhoids in men
Conservative treatment of hemorrhoids is carried out in case of an acute attack, as well as in those cases of chronic pathology, when surgical intervention is still postponed (stabilization of health after a serious illness, preparation for surgery, etc.).
Conservative treatment is carried out at home. The list of medical measures should include:
• protective regime (prohibition of hard physical labor);
• diet (refusal from spicy, salty, smoked)
• elimination of problems with stool (inclusion in the diet of foods that stimulate timely bowel movement (beets, apples, prunes, etc.), in the absence of effect – laxatives such as duphalac);
• warm baths with medicinal herbs to relieve spasms;
• local use of medicines (suppositories, ointments).
Medicines are prescribed by a doctor taking into account the localization of the node (external or internal), as well as the phase and degree of activity of the inflammatory process.
During treatment, the proctologist will monitor the course of the disease in dynamics in order to adjust conservative therapy or to conclude that surgery is necessary.
Preparing for surgery
Preparation for the removal of enlarged hemorrhoids includes carrying out all the necessary diagnostic procedures and cleansing the intestines before surgery.
Therefore, two to three days before surgery, you should refuse foods that contribute to the formation of gas in the intestines. The sanctions cover beans, beans, peas, peanuts, black bread, fresh vegetables and fruits, juices, cabbage in any form, mineral water, carbonated and alcoholic drinks.
The day before the operation, it is better to switch to a slag-free diet (fermented milk products, eggs, dietary meat). Light early dinner shown. On the morning of the day of surgery, you will have to refuse food.
In the evening, you need to cleanse the intestines with a cleansing enema or use a laxative like “Fortrans”, which is taken, following the instructions attached to the drug.
How is the operation going
The choice of anesthetic method for removing nodes depends on the method of surgery. In the early stages of the development of pathology, minimally invasive interventions are performed under local anesthesia.
Laser coagulation and ligation of hemorrhoids with latex rings is performed under spinal anesthesia, and hemorrhoidectomy is performed under anesthesia.
When choosing the method of anesthesia, additional factors are also taken into account (age, general health of the patient and his personal wishes).
Patient reviews indicate that surgery to remove hemorrhoids is well tolerated by patients. With local anesthesia, as well as with spinal anesthesia, patients are conscious, but such interventions end relatively quickly and do not cause discomfort.
Postoperative period
After a traumatic surgical intervention, patients undergo rehabilitation in a hospital, where they follow all the instructions of the attending physician. Minimally invasive surgeries are performed on an outpatient basis, so all responsibility for their health rests on the shoulders of the patients themselves.
To make the postoperative period go smoothly, you should follow the rules:
• follow all the recommendations of the doctor who performed the operation;
• avoid physical activity;
• monitor the stool (if necessary, use mild laxatives such as Duphalac);
• exclude spicy, salty, smoked foods, as well as alcohol;
• consult a doctor if suspicious symptoms appear (fever, severe bleeding, etc.).
Even with minimally invasive methods of intervention, postoperative pain syndrome may appear, which should be eliminated with medication with the help of drugs that the attending physician advises.
The effectiveness of surgical treatment of hemorrhoids in men
The statistics of clinics and the reviews of patients who underwent surgery indicate that after surgical treatment, you can forget about this extremely unpleasant problem for a long time.
However, the possibility of a relapse of the disease should be considered. In order not to have to treat hemorrhoids again, it is necessary, if possible, to eliminate all factors of pathology:
• monitor the regularity of bowel movements;
• to refuse from bad habits;
• avoid lifting weights;
• limit spicy, salty, smoked foods in the diet;
• prevent the development of obesity.
The appearance of hemorrhoids can provoke many diseases: pathology of the gastrointestinal tract, lesions of the prostate gland, diseases of the bronchopulmonary and cardiovascular systems. Therefore, respect for your health is another guarantee of preventing the recurrence of hemorrhoids in men.
Treatment of hemorrhoids in men with alternative methods
There are many articles on the Internet devoted to the treatment of hemorrhoids with “folk” methods. We hasten to warn our readers that self-medication is dangerous to life and health:
• under the mask of hemorrhoids other diseases (including cancer) can be hidden;
• conservative treatment should be prescribed individually and carried out under the supervision of the doctor who appointed him;
• in the chronic course of the disease, conservative treatment is ineffective, postponing the operation, the patient runs the risk of going to the doctor at such a stage of the disease, when more traumatic intervention is needed;
• with a long course of pathology, unpleasant complications develop (anal fissure, anemia, nervous exhaustion, impotence);
• “folk” methods are ineffective and unsafe for your health.
We hope now you guys have a clear idea on Treatment of hemorrhoids in men. If you have any more queries in it, please let us know in the comments section.