How Do You Get Hemorrhoids?

Hemorrhoids Briefing

Wondered how do you get hemorrhoids? It is a fact that some people are much more predisposed to them than others. For instance, Caucasians particularly seem to be prone to them. On the other hand they are so common amongst all populations (50%) that nobody is truly immune. Unfortunately scientists don’t wholly agree on the causes and there is much conflicting evidence. One common view is that long term constipation is a primary cause. This makes sense because the strong pushing against the anus could obviously make it liable to physical damage. Another possibility is having diarrhea on a regular basis can make you more likely to get them and there is some increasing indication that this is a significant cause in many cases.

Anal Ultra-Slow-Wave, USW

A curious discovery by Hiroyuki Kayaba of the Akita University Graduate School of Medicine in Japan is that the sphincter muscle in hemorrhoid suffers may be more active than in those who have a healthy anus–a condition called USW. The original view of this was that hemorrhoids could CAUSE the hyperactivity but the evidence now suggests the USW itself leads to the condition. Some patients with USW and without hemorrhoids also exhibit chronic constipation and anal fissure. USW is like very slow but continuous waves of pressure arising in the anus every minute or so. In fact, of the many studies done on hemorrhoid suffers a higher maximum anal pressure (increased up to 50%) has been discovered compared with those who do not suffer the condition.

Straining on a Stall

In fact, there are three kinds of pressure wave occurring in the anus. The first are the high frequency ones resulting from changes of vascular pressure related to blood circulation. Then there are slow waves that take place in the sphincter muscle every ten to twenty minutes and that are perfectly normal. Finally the USW’s which are associated with the hemorrhoidal condition and which may involve abnormally strong anal contractions.

The presence of USW is associated with straining on a stool which is also believe to be a trigger for hemorrhoids or at least a worsened hemorrhoidal condition. The treatment options for USW are limited but include the possibility of glyceryl trinitrate ointment or forceful dilatation of the anal canal as a surgical alternative. The existence of an obscure condition such as USW highlights the difficulty at answering definitively “how do you get hemorrhoids” particularly as this condition is so common and probably involves numerous contributory factors. Most commonly people strain on their stool not because of USW but simply because they are constipated. Fortunate because constipation results from unhealthy diet and low levels of exercise and can be solved without medical treatment.

Hemorrhoids and Obesity

High anal pressure is also involved during pregnancy because of the additional weight born around the area of the anus. Interestingly hemorrhoids caused this way generally spontaneously heal following the pregnancy. This also points to the fact that hemorrhoids can arise from being overweight: treat it in this case by losing weight and the result can be similar to following a pregnancy.

Portal Hypertension

Another factor that causes high pressure in the anus involves raised portal blood pressure. Portal hypertension is raised blood pressure from the digestive system to the liver. This can be a result of liver damage such as cirrhosis of the liver and is treatable by dietary changes as well as surgery.

Good Anal Health

There is no short answer to how do you get hemorrhoids. There are many factors that may dispose you to the condition but regardless of this you can achieve a great deal to get rid of them and improve anal health by adopting a good diet, losing any excess weight and adopting fastidious hygiene habits.