Do hemorrhoids bleed?

Written by Xu Jun Hui
General Surgery
Updated on January 13, 2025
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Hemorrhoids can progress to a stage where there is rectal bleeding characterized by bright red blood that is separate from the stool. This is caused by the severe tortuosity and dilation of the superior hemorrhoidal veins. As the hemorrhoids worsen, congestion and dilation of the hemorrhoidal venous plexus become more pronounced. In the presence of bowel dysfunction and hard stools, the hemorrhoidal venous plexus can be injured, leading to rupture and bleeding. Initially, the bleeding is typically minimal yet frequent. Over time, this may lead to frequent and substantial bleeding. Chronic bleeding from hemorrhoids can cause chronic blood loss anemia, which impacts the physical and mental health of the individual.

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How to relieve the pain of hemorrhoids

Most of the time, hemorrhoids do not cause pain. Pain from hemorrhoids is often considered to be due to inflammatory swelling, external hemorrhoid rupture, or thrombosis formation, which leads to pain. If you want to relieve the pain promptly, you can choose sodium diclofenac suppositories for anal insertion, which can have anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects. Later, after defecation, you can use anal washes or potassium permanganate solution for sitz baths, in conjunction with hemorrhoid cream for external application and oral Diosmin tablets to reduce swelling. If the symptoms do not improve significantly after four to five days of medication, it is necessary to go to the hospital’s coloproctology department for hemorrhoid surgery as soon as possible, such as hemorrhoidectomy, external hemorrhoid excision, and TST. Post-surgery, it is important to adhere to dressing changes to promote wound healing, and maintain smooth bowel movements.

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Written by Xu Jun Hui
General Surgery
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Do hemorrhoids bleed and hurt?

Simple hemorrhoids bleeding generally has no pain symptoms. Pain only occurs when the hemorrhoids are inflamed or when there is prolapsed or thrombosed external hemorrhoids. Hemorrhoids are caused by the tortuous dilation of hemorrhoidal venous plexus. Some patients have symptoms of hemorrhoidal prolapse, some have rectal bleeding with fresh blood that is separate from the stool, and a few have both prolapse and bleeding. If the prolapse of hemorrhoids is severe, or if there is a significant amount of bleeding, surgical treatment is recommended. If the bleeding is minor and the hemorrhoids are not severe, conservative treatment can be implemented, including topical medication and maintaining smooth bowel movements. It is advised to avoid alcohol, spicy and irritating foods, and to keep the perianal area clean and hygienic.

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Colorectal Surgery
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Do hemorrhoids require surgery?

When severe hemorrhoids are in an acute attack phase, it is necessary to undergo surgical treatment as soon as possible. Besides surgery, treatment options for hemorrhoids also include conservative medication to alleviate symptoms. For mild hemorrhoids, or those that flare up less frequently, the primary treatment is conservative topical medication. However, when hemorrhoids repeatedly prolapse, cause pain, and result in significant rectal bleeding, affecting the normal functioning of the patient’s body, it is advised to promptly proceed with hemorrhoidectomy surgery. This helps avoid complications such as severe pain that interferes with normal living, or significant bleeding that could lead to anemia in patients, thereby worsening the condition and increasing the difficulty of future treatments. (Please use medication under the guidance of a professional physician, and do not self-medicate.)

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Written by Yu Xu Chao
Colorectal Surgery
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How to quickly reduce hemorrhoid swelling

Inflammatory edema in hemorrhoids can lead to anal distension and pain in patients. Clinically, for the reduction of hemorrhoid swelling, options such as anal cleansing agents or potassium permanganate solutions can be used for sitz baths. The duration of the sitz bath should be controlled between five to six minutes, which can help in reducing swelling and relieving pain. After the sitz bath, applying Golden Ointment externally can also help in reducing swelling and relieving pain. Additionally, patients need to take oral Diosmin tablets to improve local blood circulation and prevent exacerbation of local swelling. Furthermore, patients should ensure smooth bowel movements, avoiding dry and hard stools to prevent irritation of the swollen hemorrhoids, thus worsening anal pain. They should also visit the hospital's proctology department as soon as possible for manual repositioning of the prolapsed hemorrhoids back into the anus. If repositioning is not possible, then surgical intervention, such as hemorrhoidectomy, must be considered promptly.

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Written by Xu Jun Hui
General Surgery
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Can hemorrhoid suppositories be used for hemorrhoid bleeding?

For hemorrhoid bleeding, if the bleeding is not severe, external hemorrhoid suppositories can be used to compress and stop the bleeding, which can be quite effective. If the hemorrhoid bleeding is heavy and prolonged and the suppository is not effective, hospitalization is required. Intravenous hemostatic drugs or oral hemostatics should be administered, with local gauze compression, and surgery should be performed as soon as possible to definitively stop the bleeding. If the bleeding is due to oral anticoagulants, it may be necessary to consider discontinuing these medications, providing symptomatic support treatment for hemostasis, and surgical treatment if necessary.