Most people would be surprised to know that over 50% of the US population will have a hemorrhoid at some point in their lives. As with most medical conditions, incidence increases as we age. The whole aging thing is grossly unfair but it sure beats the alternative. As part of the aging process, we lose muscle strength, it’s unfortunately inevitable. Most people don’t spend a lot of time contemplating their anal cavity, but there are walls of muscles holding veins in the anal canal, when these walls become weaker, it then makes the veins more susceptible to damage. This is why, as we get older, we get more hemorrhoids.

A hemroid is simply a small tiny bulge in a vein. This vein can be located in the anal canal or right at the opening, either it is an internal hemorrhoid or an external hemorrhoid. For people with internal hemorrhoids, the only symptom may be blood during bowel movements. Because these hemorrhoids are within the anal cavity, they remain somewhat “protected” and don’t exhibit the more traditional symptoms that most people associate with hemorrhoids such as pain and itching. External hemorrhoid conditions are usually much more painful and obvious to detect as they can be seen and felt as a small bulge near the anal opening.

It’s important to note that as we age, we need to monitor our health more closely, and this is certainly true even in the case of something as simple as hemorrhoids. If you experience any discomfort in the anal region, especially bleeding, it’s important to set up an appointment with your doctor. Your doctor will need to do a colonoscopy to rule out things like cancer and other more serious medical conditions. Once you get to the age of 50, you should be getting regularly scheduled colonoscopies anyway, this assures a long and healthy life. It’s also the only way to get a medically correct diagnosis for hemorrhoids while ruling out other more serious problems, so it’s important to not ignore your symptoms in the hope that they will disappears.

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