Hemorrhoids

A pain in the butt, for sure, but at least it’s a common one that can be fixed. Here’s what you need to know about this condition, if and when you experience some discomfort in your derrière.

- Karen Robock

AN ESTIMATED 50 PERCENT OF PEOPLE over 50 will have to deal with bothersome bumps on their bottoms that can be itchy and painful. Surprised? What’s more shocking is that we all have them. Yes, you. Right now. “Hemorrhoids are completely normal anal tissue that gives support in the anal canal,” says Dr. Terry Zwiep, a colorectal surgery fellow at The Ottawa Hospital. Usually they’re just doing their job, helping to control the release of stools and gas, but when they become symptomatic, people start to notice them, he says.

When hemorrhoids become inflamed, veins, similar to varicose veins, in your anus or lower rectum swell, causing discomfort. There are three types that cause complaints: internal hemorrhoids (which doctors will grade for severity on a scale of one to four), external hemorrhoids (which develop under the skin around the anus) and thrombosed hemorrhoids (which occur when blood pools in an external hemorrhoid and causes a clot; resulting in a lump near your anus).

According to The College of Family Physicians of Canada (CFPC), excessive pressure on the veins in your anus or rectum from obesity, jobs that involve heavy lifting, and pregnancy (due to the weight of the uterus and pressure during delivery) will up your odds of problematic hemorrhoids. Hemorrhoids are also frequently associated with chronic constipation, because straining and long stints sitting on the toilet put pressure on the area, too.

Typically, hemorrhoids are painless, but they can still cause worrisome symptoms, like light to moderate bleeding when you wipe. If they do hurt or itch, it’s likely because internal hemorrhoids have prolapsed outside of the anal canal during a bowel movement and become enlarged.