Reminding that constipation is the leading cause of hemorrhoids, Acıbadem Bodrum Hospital General Surgery Specialist Dr. Ertuğrul Yaltı, “Patients can reduce their complaints by changing their eating and toilet habits. For example, you should eat plenty of fiber. In addition, those who cannot go to the toilet outside their own home should change this habit,” he said.
Stating that patients with hemorrhoids usually apply to the doctor late, he said, “There are basically two reasons for this, the first is that the disease is in a private place, and the second is that there is an incorrect general belief that the treatment is very painful. Partly for this reason, patients usually use the drugs they hear from their surroundings or the pharmacist recommends.”
LONG STANDING CAN CAUSE HEMOROIDS
Counting constipation as the leading cause of hemorrhoids, Dr. Yaltı listed other factors as follows: “There may also be a tendency for those who stand for long periods of time, those who work in jobs that require heavy lifting, and those who lift heavy loads for sports purposes. Conditions that increase intra-abdominal pressure are considered risk factors because increased intra-abdominal pressure slows blood circulation, and slowing of blood circulation causes blood to accumulate and swell in hemorrhoids. Constipation, sitting on the toilet for a long time, some people read newspapers on the toilet, lifting heavy, standing for long periods are the most important risk factors.
PREGNANCY ALSO AT RISK
Emphasizing that pregnancy is also an important risk factor, Dr. Yaltı said, “As the baby grows in the abdomen, both the intra-abdominal pressure increases and the baby himself puts pressure on the veins. In some cases, protruding hemorrhoids do not go in and a very painful picture occurs. If women with constipation are considering having a baby, I recommend them to solve their constipation problems first.”
Dr. Yaltı said that there is no familial transmission in hemorrhoid disease, but several members of the same family can have hemorrhoids; He pointed out that this is closely related to nutrition and toilet habits in the family, and said, “For example, if family members consume less fibrous foods, constipation and related hemorrhoids may develop, and constipation and hemorrhoids develop in people who cannot go to the toilet outside their own homes.”
“DO NOT USE MEDICINE by rote”
Emphasizing that people with complaints of pain, swelling or bleeding in the anal region should consult a doctor, Dr. “It is not the right approach to use medicine by heart or to seek advice from people other than a doctor, because there are diseases that can be confused with hemorrhoids. Anal fissure (anus tear), abscess, cancer are the most common conditions to be confused with and their treatments are completely different. Hemorrhoids do not become cancerous, they do not turn into cancer, but these two diseases can be together or cancer may develop later in someone with hemorrhoids. It is very difficult to distinguish these two diseases, whose clinical findings are very similar, without examining them. For this reason, patients with complaints should definitely consult a doctor, and if they need to use medication, they should use medication with a doctor’s prescription.
GOING TO GO TO THE TOILET OUTSIDE MUST BE USED
Dr. Reminding that the most important cause of hemorrhoids is constipation, he drew attention to the diet of the patients with the following words: “It is important to eat fiber-rich foods, especially green leafy plants; drink at least 2 liters of water per day; It is necessary to stay away from constipating foods and spices such as bananas, almonds, yogurt.”
Touching on the toilet habits of the patients, Dr. “Patients should not sit on the toilet for a long time, they should postpone their toilet needs, those who cannot go to the toilet outside should get rid of this bad habit, at least they should instill this habit in their children, they should do regular and non-heavy sports, and adopt an active life,” Yaltı said.
HOW TO TREAT HEMOROIDS?
Stating that the main thing in the treatment path is to adopt a “life style that will prevent the growth of hemorrhoids”, Dr. Yalaltı stated that when this is not possible, hemorrhoids enlarge, protrude from the anus, bleed and sometimes cause pain.
Dr. Yaltı recommends that patients with early stage hemorrhoids change their lifestyle and take medication such as oral pills, suppositories and creams, saying, “Suppository and cream treatment usually lasts for a week. Initially, these treatments are sufficient, but drug treatments alone do not provide permanent relief, over time, hemorrhoids grow. The frequency of complaints increases and drug treatments are not sufficient, and the comfort of life of the person deteriorates. In this case, treatment options that can be applied before the surgery come to the fore, such as “tie with a rubber band”, “tying of the hemorrhoidal artery -HAL” “sclerotherapy”. These treatments are usually applied in the early stages, and the hemorrhoids should not have grown too much.