What Causes Hemorrhoids?

Hemorrhoids still remain to be one of the most common health problems encountered by both men and women. Even though there are a lot of articles published in medical books or searchable all over the Internet about this condition, the reason why one person develops a hemorrhoid is still a puzzle to a lot of people.

A lot of things have been associated with the development of these small lumps in the anal region, but there is no proven causality among these different risk factors. Some of these would be frequent diarrhea, straining during defecation, involuntary actions such as coughing, sneezing and vomiting; remaining seated for a long time, lifting heavy objects, excess weight, liver and other digestive problems, anal sex, a diet that is low in fiber, and pregnancy. However, causality has not yet been strongly established yet.

Other things that are known to aggravate the said illness are widely known. During pregnancy especially in the third trimester, the growing fetus causes the uterus to become larger in size and compress the bowels causing difficulty in passing feces and weakening the anal muscles. The same is true for increased straining during defecation which not only causes occlusion to the blood supply around the anal region but also increases undue pressure in the hemorrhoid.

A theory subscribed to by a lot of health care providers about the cause of the condition is that the development of a hemorrhoid begins with having constipation and weakened anal muscles. A low fiber diet, inability to initiate passing of stools or an illness that makes it difficult to expel feces are some of the causes why someone becomes constipated, it then results to the stool becoming hard and more difficult to be pushed by the bowels. This situation further leads to a shearing or pulling force dragging the linings of the large intestine downward. However, as long as the muscles and supporting tissues remain anchored, the hemorrhoid does not bulge. But when the structure becomes weak because of aging or other conditions, the pulled anal lining slides and forms some bulges called hemorrhoids.

This is just one of the many theories about the cause of the illness, but the primary reason or the trigger why a hemorrhoid occurs cannot be established yet. The importance of being able to know the causes of hemorrhoids is that the condition can now be more easily managed and possible recurrence of these bowel lesions may be prevented.