Many people call all types of pain and bleeding in the anus by the single name ‘piles’. However, scientifically, there are three different diseases behind this. If these are not identified and treated correctly, the disease can become more complicated. Here are the main causes and differences behind this:
1. Piles, Fissures, and Fistulas – How to tell the difference?
Piles (Hemorrhoids): This is a condition in which the blood vessels in the anus become swollen and thickened. Its main symptom is painless, bright red blood (Bleeding) during defecation. When it hardens, the fleshy fibers protrude.
Anal Fissure: Fissures are small tears in the skin of the anus that occur when hard stools are passed. Its main symptom is severe stabbing or burning pain that lasts for hours during and after defecation. Bleeding is minimal (blood can be seen on the toilet paper or outside the stool as a line).
Anal Fistula: This is a condition in which the glands inside the anus become infected and an abscess forms, and a small tunnel is formed through the skin outside the anus to drain this pus. This is characterized by continuous pus and blood leaking through a small hole near the anus.
2. 4 main root causes of all three problems:
Excessive body heat and dehydration: When the body is dehydrated, the large intestine absorbs all the water from the food. This causes the stool to become hard like a stone. When this hard stool comes out, the skin tears and fissures or veins swell, causing piles.
Packaged and processed foods: Regular consumption of junk foods, flour, and bakery products slows down the natural movements of the intestines (peristalsis). The main reason is that such foods, which are devoid of fiber, disrupt the digestive system.
Bowel obstruction: Prolonged retention of stool due to work or other reasons can cause stool to accumulate in the large intestine and become thicker.
Liver problems (Portal Hypertension): In conditions where blood flow through the liver is obstructed (for example, liver cirrhosis), the pressure in the blood vessels in the abdomen and rectum doubles, leading to the formation of piles.
