Types of Haemorrhoids And How They Are Treated?

Haemorrhoids or piles are one of the most painful issues that occur in almost 3 in 10 people in India. It is caused by due to swelling of a group of veins in rectum or anus. The blood in these veins clots and causes them to expand outward making it uncomfortable. In some cases, they bleed too when passing urine or stool for which a doctor should be consulted immediately. If not cured within the time it results in severe issues and causes indigestion ads, Dr. Arun Aggarwal Gastroenterologist.

There are generally four types of haemorrhoids diagnosed by a doctor:

1.         Internal Haemorrhoids: They are found inside the rectum in the mucosa lining. They are painless and tend to go away on their own. But if they don’t heal on their own, they start swelling and become visible outside of the anus. With this, they also start paining and itching and lead to prolapse condition.

2.         Prolapsed Haemorrhoids: These are aggravated form of internal haemorrhoids which require the immediate attention of the doctor as they bleed during the passage of faeces. They cause pain, itching and burning during the passage of stool or while sitting.

3.         External Haemorrhoids: They occur outside anus and create discomfort during physical activities. Usually, they are not painful but when they swell and start appearing as lumps, they require immediate attention.

4.         Thrombosis Haemorrhoids: When the external haemorrhoids start getting blood clots in them and are tender, painful, itch, burn and may turn blue or purple they are referred to as thrombosis haemorrhoids.

Dr. Arun Aggarwal Gastroenterologist says that the internal haemorrhoids generally get healed on their own. But attention is required for the other three. They can be treated as follows:

1.    Prolapsed haemorrhoids can be treated with lotions, wipes, gels or creams as prescribed by the doctor.

2.    External and thrombosis haemorrhoids need cold compress or warm water bath to relieve the pain and swelling.

In extreme cases, there are options for surgery such as:

1.    Rubber band litigation

2.    Coagulation

3.    Sclerotherapy

4.    Hemorrhoidectomy

5.    Haemorrhoid stapling

In the normal cases, it takes 1-3 weeks to recover and if the surgery was the option it takes 6-8 weeks depending on the type of surgery is performed on the patient. 

This painful condition is related to constipation and other serious indigestion problems.  Dr. Arun Aggarwal says it is advisable to consult the respective medical practitioner before things get worse.