The holiday season is just around the corner. Traveling back home or staying in China to celebrate Thanksgiving, Christmas & the New Year involve sharing fabulous home-cooked meals, attending parties, and drinking lots of alcohol.
But doctors warn that the effects of overeating, drinking, lack of physical activity, and disruption to our regular routine may aggravate or lead to anorectal diseases and hemorrhoids. |
What exactly are hemorrhoids?
Hemorrhoids are soft venous mass formed by the venous plexus under the skin rectum and the anal canal due to poor blood flow, blood stasis, and expansion and flexion of blood vessels.
What are the causes of hemorrhoids?
The poor working and living conditions are considered to be the main cause of hemorrhoids. A sedentary lifestyle, lack of exercise, and overeating have greatly increased the incidence of hemorrhoids.
In addition, when the bathroom becomes a space for people to release pressure, using the phone while defecating causes the toilet time to be too long, so that the abdominal pressure is continuously increased, and the anus is congested, which is also prone to the formation of hemorrhoids.
There are other causes such as diarrhea or constipation due to impaired gastrointestinal function and obstruction of venous caused by pregnant women’s uterine enlargement which makes pelvic cavity compressed, etc.
Hemorrhoids are divided into internal hemorrhoids, external hemorrhoids and mixed hemorrhoids. The typical symptoms are:
Itching: The secretion of the anus flows out, and the nucleus and surrounding skin will be stimulated for a long time. With prolonged humidity, it will easily breed bacteria, causing itching of the anus.
Hematochezia: Mainly due to internal hemorrhoids. There’s blood on the toilet paper after defecating, blood on the surface of the stool, bright red blood or spurt on the anus.
Obvious pain in the anus: The nerves in the anus are very sensitive which can cause mild or severe pain when stimulated, which usually occurs during or after defecation.
Heavy sensation in the anus region: There’s often a feeling of urgency but inability to defecate.
What are the complications?Although hemorrhoids are common today, it does not mean that you should ignore it. Mild hemorrhoids can develop into severe conditions and severe hemorrhoids will worsen if not treated right away. This can lead to complications and cause harm to the human body.
Hematochezia is one of the main symptoms of hemorrhoids. It’s often ignored as the early symptoms are mild. Over time, it will cause iron deficiency anemia including pale, tired, palpitations and other symptoms with increased blood loss.
Internal hemorrhoids prolapse (hemorrhoids pushed out) are also common symptoms which will make the rectal mucosa move down. As prolapse increases, it can cause varying degrees of anal incontinence.
The internal hemorrhoids are prolapsed, and the nucleus are embedded outside the anus, which can cause necrosis and abnormal bowel movement. At this time, the pain will be greatly aggravated.
As the hemorrhoidal mass prolapse, the mucus flows out of the anus and stimulates the skin, causing itchy skin and anal eczema. Serious symptoms like venous bacteremia, even sepsis and other infections will also occur.
Lead to various gynecological diseasesDue to the proximity of the anus and vagina, hemorrhage or inflammation of the hemorrhoids can easily cause the bacteria to multiply, causing various gynecological inflammation.
Treatment of hemorrhoids?Although the incidence of hemorrhoids is high, the number of visits to the doctor is low. Mostly because people are often too embarrassed, especially female patients. Thus making the condition worse.
Another important thing to note is the pathogenic site of hemorrhoids is similar to that of rectal cancer. Many patients with early rectal cancer have missed the best time to be treated because they mistakenly believe that they have hemorrhoids and delay the diagnosis and treatment time.
Therefore, timely and correct treatment is an effective way to treat hemorrhoids.
Currently, the main treatment methods are:
Mainly applicable to the initial stage of internal hemorrhoids.
(Have a certain effect but easy to re-occur, and difficult to achieve radical cure.)
Medication
Oral medication and topical ointments.
Injection therapy
Sclerotherapy: Use a syringe to directly inject the drug into the nucleus to make it harden or shrink. Commonly use Xiaozhiling and Lauromacrogol.
Softener injection: Apply the principle of blood-activating and stasis-dissolving to make the hemorrhoid shrink. Commonly use Shaobei Injection.
RPH therapy
Ruiyun Procedure for Hemorrhoids (RPH) uses rubber ring ligation to partially block the blood supply to the hemorrhoids or reduce the venous reflux, thereby reducing the hyperemia or blood stasis, and achieving the effect of atrophy of the hemorrhoidal mass. It is one the main non-surgical treatments.
Mainly applicable during the later stage of internal hemorrhoids as well as external hemorrhoids.
Traditional surgery results in larger wounds and more bleeding accompanied by obvious pain, so it takes a long time to recover, usually one to two weeks.
The revolution in minimally invasive surgery has been a good news for people who are busy and have a strong fear of pain. According to doctors, fear of surgery is one of the important reasons why patients delay treatment which usually aggravates the symptoms.
Procedure for prolapsing hemorrhoids (PPH) is a minimally invasive treatment for hemorrhoids that is now widely accepted by the public. It has excellent therapeutic effect on internal hemorrhoids, mixed hemorrhoids, circumference mixed hemorrhoids, serious prolapse of hemorrhoids and rectocele. Compared with traditional surgery, it has the advantages of short treatment time, mild pain, small trauma and quick recovery. Patients can usually be discharged on the procedure day.
Therefore, it is quite rare to see hemorrhoid patients in hospital wards with their butts up and suffering from post-surgical pain.
Dr. Huiyong Jiang is an Associate Chief Physician and Associate Professor who graduated from Shanghai Second Medical University. He has more than 30 years of experience in gastrointestinal and anorectal surgery. He is one of the pioneering doctors to perform Procedure for Prolapse and Hemorrhoids (PPH), and Limberg flap surgery for pilonidal sinus in Pudong, Shanghai. He is regarded to be amongst the best in treating hemorrhoids and anal fistula in Shanghai and in China.
Dr. Jiang is specialized in diagnosing and treating anorectal benign diseases: various types of hemorrhoids, anal fistula, anal fissure, perianal abscess, anal stenosis, rectal prolapse (mild to moderate grade), pilonidal sinus diseases and sacrococcygeal benign tumors. He employs advanced surgical techniques for these conditions: minimally invasive surgery like PPH and TST for severe mixed hemorrhoids; minimally invasive surgery for anal fissure; latest injection treatment for hemorrhoids; sphincter-sparing surgery for complex anal fistula; surgery for perianal abscess without recurrence; Limberg flap surgery for pilonidal sinus.
Dr. Jiang was a visiting scholar at New York University's Langone Medical Center, NTU Hospital, Hsinchu Hospital, Taipei Veterans General Hospital, and St. Paul's Hospital in Hong Kong. He has published more than ten research articles in SCI journals and relevant journals and co-edited two medical publications. Dr. Jiang has also published numerous online articles that have gained popularity and influence nationwide.
“Highly-skilled” & “Formidable” are adjectives used by Dr. Jiang’s patients to describe him.
General Surgeon
Founder of YC
Dr. Keying Song is a highly regarded China Board Certified Surgeon with extensive knowledge and clinical experience in General Surgery and the Founder of Yosemite Clinic. Dr. Song specializes in Minimally Invasive and General Surgeries for the treatment of thyroid, breast, varicose veins and other common diseases requiring surgical intervention. Dr. Song completed his post-doctoral fellowship at Fudan University's Cancer Hospital in Shanghai, China and was later awarded a fellowship in surgical oncology at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York, USA.
Dr. Song has practiced at various prestigious medical centers in China, including Shanghai United Family Hospital where he was a Senior Consultant Surgeon; Worldpath Clinic International in Shanghai, China, where he was Chief Medical Officer as well as Surgery Department Chair; Shanghai Jiaotong University-affiliated Shanghai First People's Hospital where he was Vice-Chief Surgeon and a Medical Postgraduate Professor. Dr. Song was mentored by nationally-known surgeon Professor Lee Zhaoting. He is well-known among Shanghai expats and within the premium healthcare community in Shanghai. Dr. Song's personal slogan is "Create a Revolutionary Medical Entity; Be an Extraordinary Surgeon".