The onset of hemorrhoid development is characterized by mild symptoms. Hemorrhoids are still small and not visible from the outside, as they are located inside the rectum. In most cases, stage 1 hemorrhoids are not diagnosed, since many patients do not go for examination to a doctor due to the manifestation of mild symptoms, which delays the process to stage 2.
The causes of stage 1 hemorrhoids can be:
- unhealthy diet
- constipation,
- pregnancy,
- childbirth,
- lifting weights,
- strong physical activity,
- hereditary weakness of the vascular walls,
- abuse of alcoholic drinks, spicy foods,
- sedentary lifestyle
- sedentary work,
- excess weight.
These factors lead to stagnation of blood in the pelvic organs, increased intra-abdominal pressure, dilation of veins and, as a result, the formation of hemorrhoids. The risk group includes pregnant women and men who enjoy lifting weights in the gym, office workers, loaders, drivers, and hairdressers.
Symptoms of hemorrhoids at an early stage
In some cases, the initial stage of hemorrhoids manifests itself as follows:
- itching of the oral area - consequences of irritation of the mucous membrane;
- formation of weeping in the anal area;
- presence of blood on the napkin after bowel movement;
- a feeling of discomfort in the rectal area at rest and during the passage of feces;
- the presence of mucous discharge in the stool;
- sensation of a foreign body in the rectum, intestinal fullness.
The above symptoms cannot be discussed at once - they appear gradually and are associated with the progression of hemorrhoids.
How it manifests itself
The early stage of hemorrhoids (initial stage) does not entail the appearance of too intense clinical manifestations. If the appearance of the disease appears, it is manifested by the following symptoms:
- A slight burning sensation in the rectal area after bowel movement, a feeling of discomfort.
- Feeling of squeezing during bowel movements.
- Small amounts of blood in the stool.
- Weak seals are visualized at the entrance to the rectum.
If the internal form of the disease develops, the following signs appear:
- Painful sensations during bowel movements.
- Increased gas formation and flatulence.
- Impurities and streaks of blood in the stool.
- Feeling of heaviness or a foreign body in the rectal area.
Regardless of the stage, treatment should be carried out as soon as possible to prevent further node prolapse and surgery.
How is early stage hemorrhoids treated?
Hemorrhoids can be diagnosed at the initial stage using a digital examination, however, today an anoscope is more often used. The device makes it possible to visualize not only the anal area, but also the entire rectum to a depth of 150 mm. During the research process, existing nodes are surveyed. Photos are used to assess the dynamics of the patient's condition.
At the same time, a number of tests are taken, including a stool test for blood content and a general blood test for hemoglobin and hCG in women, in order to exclude pregnancy, because in this case the treatment will be of a different nature.
Symptoms during pregnancy
Most women first encounter the problem of hemorrhoids during pregnancy. The situation is associated with hormonal changes, weight gain, abdominal growth, pressure on the pelvic organs, intestinal disorders, and deformation of internal organs.
Hemorrhoids during pregnancy are one of those cases when, with the right approach, you can cure the disease and never think about it after childbirth. The body completely returns to normal within 9 months after childbirth, the functions of systems and internal organs are stabilized, and the risk of developing the disease is minimized.
Symptoms during pregnancy are no different. First of all, you need to pay attention to the presence of mucus from the anus, drops of blood, and painful bowel movements. The presence of alarming symptoms should be reported to the gynecologist who monitors the progress of pregnancy. He will prescribe treatment or refer you to an appointment with a coloproctologist.
Initial stage of hemorrhoids treatment
How to treat hemorrhoids at the initial stage? Is it even worth doing this? Definitely, therapy should be started as quickly as possible - the rectum has not yet lost its elasticity during this period, so the likelihood of restoration of hemorrhoids is very high.
Treatment of hemorrhoids, carried out in the early stages of the development of the disease, involves a conservative approach, in which they resort to taking medications and physiotherapy.
Surgical intervention is excluded. Cases have been recorded in which traditional medicine contributed to the cure of early hemorrhoids. An integrated approach will help relieve the patient of the problem at this stage of the disease.
It is important to know! Self-medication in the case of hemorrhoids in the initial stage may not only not bring the desired results, but also aggravate the situation.
The first stage of hemorrhoids: causes of development and features
The causes of hemorrhoids have long been known to medicine. First of all this:
- hereditary predisposition;
- inactive lifestyle;
- sedentary work;
- excessive physical activity;
- poor nutrition;
- excess weight;
- chronic constipation;
- alcohol abuse;
- smoking;
- chronic inflammatory process;
- rectal tumors;
- pregnancy and childbirth.
All these provoking factors lead to stagnation of blood in the pelvis, impede the outflow of venous blood from the rectum, and cause an increase in intra-abdominal pressure. This naturally contributes to overstretching of the pelvic veins. Over time, the pathological process leads to an increase in the size of the venous plexuses. Enlarged hemorrhoids are subject to constant trauma and infection, which leads to progression of the disease.
Drug treatment of early stage hemorrhoids
The attending physician may prescribe a number of the following medications for early hemorrhoids:
- analgesics to relieve pain (Ibuprofen, Diclofenac). Long-term use of drugs from this group is excluded;
- venotonics to improve the tone of vascular walls (Detralex, Phlebodia). The drugs prevent the further development of varicose veins;
- hemostatic agents in case of heavy bleeding (Etamzital, Vikasol);
- means to improve blood properties (Aspirin, Trental). Medicines in this group reduce the risk of inflammation in the area of thrombosed nodes;
- drugs to normalize stool (Prelax, Duphalac);
- suppositories and ointments for hemorrhoids (Relief, Anuzol).
Treatment
Grade 1 hemorrhoids are preferably treated using conservative methods, but sometimes surgical intervention is required.
Medicines
Various groups of medicinal substances can be used to treat the disease:
- To reduce pain during treatment, analgesics (ibuprofen, movalis, diclofenac) are prescribed. However, long-term use is not recommended.
- Venotonics are used in the form of capsules and tablets. The goal of such treatment is to normalize the tone of the vessel walls, which prevents further varicose veins. Representatives of this class are Detralex, Phlebodia, Aescusan.
- If there is severe bleeding, then it makes sense to use etamsylate or vikasol, which promote the formation of blood clots in the area of the damaged vascular wall.
- To reduce the risk of inflammation in the area of thrombosed nodes, medications that improve blood properties (trental, aspirin) are used for treatment.
- If there are problems with stool, it is necessary to use means to normalize it. Otherwise, most likely, stage 1 of the disease will progress to the next stage, which will cause chronic hemorrhoids.
At the same time, it is preferable to treat hemorrhoids with medications for topical use, as this will speed up the onset of the effect and also minimize the systemic effect.
The main objectives of drug treatment are:
- elimination of pain and discomfort in the anal area;
- prevention of various types of complications;
- increasing the duration of the remission period in chronic cases;
- preoperative preparation in case of need for surgical intervention.
Physiotherapy
Internal and external hemorrhoids
For the treatment of stage 1 disease, physiotherapeutic methods are also acceptable:
- Sclerotherapy, which consists of injecting a special solution into the lumen of the altered veins, is suitable for treating the disease in the presence of small nodes. This leads to their walls sticking together, which prevents their further transformation. Quite often, this technique prevents the transformation of an acute process into a chronic one.
- Early hemorrhoids can also be treated using electrocoagulation. This involves non-surgical damage to the vascular pedicle by electric current, as a result of which the node is excluded from the systemic blood flow.
Physiotherapeutic methods for treating the initial stage of hemorrhoids
Physiotherapeutic treatment of the initial stage of hemorrhoids involves the use of the following techniques:
- Sclerotherapy is the process of introducing a special substance into the venous lumens. The method is justified only when symptoms of early hemorrhoids appear. The result of treatment is glued vein walls, which prevent their further transformation.
- Electrocoagulation is damage to the vessel pedicle by electric current without surgical intervention. The procedure eliminates the node from the bloodstream.
The initial stage of hemorrhoids and traditional medicine to help
It is possible to treat early-stage hemorrhoids at home, or rather to promote treatment, using traditional medicine methods. Various decoctions and infusions of herbal ointments will help. Below are a number of the most effective remedies in the fight against the initial stage of hemorrhoids.
- St. John's wort decoction. Pour 30 g of crushed herb leaves into a glass of water, boil over low heat for 10 minutes, and leave for a couple of hours. Then strain and drink a third of a glass before the meal. The decoction reduces inflammation and disinfects.
- Bath with infusion of birch leaves. Place the main component in the amount of 10 handfuls in boiling water (5 l), leave for 15 minutes with the lid closed. Let it cool and pour it into a pre-prepared bath. You can lie in such a bath for a quarter of an hour and resort to the procedure every other day. Birch leaves will reduce inflammation and stop bleeding.
- Propolis candles. Soften several Vaseline suppositories in a water bath, add 20 g of propolis extract. Mix the mixture thoroughly and form candles, which we wrap one at a time in parchment and leave in a cool place until use. We use the product at night, one suppository for 10 days. Propolis relieves pain and kills germs.
- Shilajit-based ointment. Mix the main component with peach oil or honey in a ratio of 1:1 or 1:3, respectively. In order to prepare candles from mumiyo, mix natural resin with honey in a ratio of 1:3, add starch (flour). From the resulting composition we form candles. The product relieves inflammation and heals.
Treatment for men
As a rule, men are much more negligent about their health than women and they either do not notice the first symptoms of hemorrhoids or simply do not pay attention to them. Meanwhile, it is enough to undergo the simplest course of treatment, and hemorrhoids will disappear without ever showing themselves.
Candles
This is the most effective remedy for treating hemorrhoids in the initial stages. There are quite a lot of candles. The effectiveness of using suppositories is due to the fact that the active substance is quickly absorbed into the blood and begins to have a healing effect. The candles are solid at room temperature, but when administered they begin to melt.
Today, the following suppositories are suitable for the treatment of hemorrhoids in the initial stages:
- Natalsid . These suppositories are based on a substance obtained from seaweed – alginate. The action of these suppositories is mainly aimed at eliminating inflammatory processes. Suppositories have been used for quite a long time, and during this time complications with their use have been recorded only in a few cases of an allergic reaction associated with individual intolerance to the drug.
- Procto-Glyvenol . These suppositories contain two components: icecaine and tribenoside. The first relieves pain, the second is known as an anti-inflammatory agent. Procto-Glivenol suppositories are effective for itching and burning, that is, for symptoms of the initial stages of the disease. Among the side effects, some patients may experience minor manifestations of an allergic reaction, as well as increased intestinal motility.
- Relief. It is considered one of the best drugs for the treatment of hemorrhoids. Relief suppositories have a clearly targeted anti-inflammatory effect, relieve pain well and restore bleeding, and also heal wounds well and are a good immunomodulator. In case of an overdose of the drug, a person may experience increased itching and redness. In this case, consult a doctor.
- Relief Advance. This type of Relief suppository contains benzocaine and shark liver oil as its main components. Both of these components stop bleeding well and heal wounds. These suppositories can be used not only as therapeutic, but also as preventive.
- Hepatrombin . One of the universal remedies for combating hemorrhoids. It has an anti-inflammatory effect and helps reduce the formation of blood clots. Gepatrombin suppositories relieve the unpleasant sensation of itching in the anus. There are no known side effects for this drug.
Ointments
Ointments, along with suppositories, are very often used in medical practice to treat hemorrhoids. It is difficult to say unequivocally which ointment is better, since the effect of each drug is directed differently, and the body’s sensitivity to the active substance is different for everyone.
However, the following drugs can be distinguished in ointment form:
- Heparin ointment . Thanks to the active substance heparin, the manifestations of inflammation are quickly relieved and hemorrhoidal formations quickly disappear. Heparin ointment can be used starting from the earliest stages of the disease.
- Proctosan . Perfectly relieves pain and also relieves irritation and itching in the anal area. Promotes healing of microwounds and microcracks, stops bleeding.
- Troxevasin in the form of an ointment. Improves the strength of blood vessels and is thus a good remedy in the fight against hemorrhoids. In the initial stages of the disease, it is enough to apply this ointment once a day.
- Aurobin . Due to the presence of vitamins in its composition, it is an excellent healing preparation for wounds and cracks in hemorrhoids.
- Proctosedyl . Thanks to the hydrocortisone included in this ointment, it is a good pain reliever. It also relieves itching and inflammation.
Pills
Many medications for hemorrhoids are produced by the pharmaceutical industry and in tablet form.
Among those suitable for treatment in the initial stages of the disease are:
- Litovit B. A drug based on medicinal herbs. In many ways, its action is associated with providing the body with micro and macroelements, which are extremely important for reducing the fragility of the capillaries of the circulatory system.
- Troxevasin in capsules. This is a systemic drug that has a strengthening effect on blood vessels. Recommended for the treatment of hemorrhoids at all stages.
- Ginkor fort . The drug is based on herbal components, increases the tone of blood vessels and increases capillary permeability. Helps stop bleeding from hemorrhoids and has a mild analgesic effect.
Folk remedies
Traditional medicine has many recipes for the treatment of hemorrhoids. However, before you start using this or that recipe, you should consult your doctor.
In the initial stage of hemorrhoids, the following methods of treating traditional medicine may well be suitable:
- Steam bath with onion decoction . To prepare a steam bath, you need to take a thick-walled clay pot, into which half a liter of milk and 4 onions are added. Boil all this for about 15 minutes over low heat. Before the steam bath, it is recommended to do an enema for cleansing. After this, steam the anus over the pot.
- Cold bath . Add a few grains of potassium permanganate to one liter of cold water. Pour water into a basin and take a sitz bath for 2-5 minutes. Take a bath twice a day, morning and evening.
- Candle made from raw potatoes. For 10 days, it is recommended to place a candle cut from a potato in the anus. The candle is cut out the size of a finger; no sharp corners are allowed during production. Before inserting such a suppository, you can take a warm sitz bath for 30 minutes. The inserted suppository is passed out along with feces during bowel movements.
- Onion ointment . Fry a large, finely chopped onion in half a liter of sunflower oil until black. Strain the mixture through cheesecloth. Melt 100 grams of beeswax and mix with the resulting mass. The ointment should be used as an external remedy.
How to prevent the development of hemorrhoids?
The first thing you should pay attention to in order not to provoke the onset of hemorrhoids is to properly plan your diet. A balanced diet involves including foods rich in vitamins and minerals in the menu, which will ensure the normal functioning of the gastrointestinal tract. The initial stage of hemorrhoids, as well as a predisposition to the development of the disease, oblige you to refuse:
- fatty foods;
- spices and seasonings;
- excessively salty food;
- canned foods;
- alcoholic drinks.
Hemorrhoids, as a chronic disease, can be prevented by regular physical activity, which will help improve blood circulation in the patient’s body. If a person’s activity involves long-term sitting, it is necessary to warm up and take breaks.
If you have hemorrhoids, the initial stage of the disease, treatment should begin as soon as possible. Timely action in the case of hemorrhoids will save you from the problems associated with the most unpleasant illness of mankind. Good luck!
Prevention
The main preventive measures are normalization of diet and lifestyle. Quitting smoking and alcohol will help strengthen blood vessels, optimizing work and rest schedules, and preventing excessive physical exertion will help avoid retention of venous blood in the pelvic organs, as well as increased intra-abdominal pressure. A diet rich in dietary fiber and fiber will improve digestion and relieve chronic constipation.
Hemorrhoids are a fairly common disease and insidious in that the first degree of the disease can form latently over a long period of time. Many people ask the question - What does the initial stage of hemorrhoids look like? However, there are almost no initial signs of the disease or they are not sufficiently manifested. For this reason, at the initial stage of hemorrhoids, very few people seek help from a specialist.