Piles or Bawaseer is a very commonly occurring disease. It is so common that three out of four adults can have piles at a certain point in time. So, what exactly is piles? What are its symptoms and causes? In this blog, you will get an overview about everything you need to know about piles.

Piles or Hemorrhoids are swellings or swollen veins that develop inside the rectum or around the anus and cause itching, irritation, pain, and bleeding Fortunately, many treatments are available and also people get relief from home remedies and changing their lifestyles.

TYPES of PILES

Depending on where the swollen veins get developed, piles are of three types- Internal and External. There can be internal and external piles at the same time.

Internal Piles – Internal piles develop in the rectum, about 2-3 cm above the anal opening. Internal piles may bleed but they aren’t usually painful.

External Piles – In this, swollen veins forms underneath the skin around the anal opening. These are usually itchy, painful and can also cause bleeding. Sometimes they get filled with blood, which isn’t dangerous but causes swelling and pain.

 Both internal and external piles can prolapse. This means that they can stretch and bulge out of the anus (Prolapse Hemorrhoids). Hemorrhoids in such a cause, also bleed and causes pain.

CAUSES of PILES

The veins around your anus tend to stretch under pressure and may bulge or swell. Hemorrhoids can develop from increased pressure in the lower rectum due to:

• Straining during bowel movements
• Sitting for long periods of time on the toilet
• Having chronic diarrhea or constipation
• Being obese
• Being pregnant
• Having anal intercourse
• Eating a low-fiber diet
• Regular heavy lifting

What do Piles look like?

Since in most cases piles develop inside the rectum or underneath the skin around the anal opening, usually we don’t see anything in the area around the back passage. But in the case of prolapse piles, larger internal piles can hang down the anal opening looking like a discolored rubbery lump while external piles will look like a soft lump on the edge of the anal opening.

SYMPTOMS of PILES

Signs and symptoms of hemorrhoids usually depend on the type of hemorrhoid.

External hemorrhoids

These are under the skin around your anus. Signs and symptoms might include:

• Itching or irritation in your anal region
• Pain or discomfort
• Swelling around your anus
• Bleeding

Internal hemorrhoids

You usually can’t see or feel them, and they rarely cause discomfort. But straining or irritation when passing stool can cause:

• Painless bleeding during bowel movements. Small amounts of bright red blood might be seen on your toilet tissue or in the toilet.
• Hemorrhoids stretch and push through the anal opening (prolapsed or protruding hemorrhoids), resulting in pain and irritation.

Thrombosed hemorrhoids

If blood pools in external hemorrhoid and forms a clot (thrombus), it can result in:

• Severe pain
• Swelling
• Inflammation
• A hard lump near your anus