Common Hemorrhoid Causes

Simply put hemorrhoids (or piles) are an inflammation of the veins surrounding the rectum and anus. This can be caused by:

Remaining seated for long periods of time. Work at a desk anyone?

Constipation or diarrhea. Think anything that irritates the anus or rectum will cause inflammation a la hemorrhoids.

Retention of water during premenstrual syndrome or menstruation. This can cause constipation. Why? Simply put your colon needs water to move stool through your bowel. More water in the body means less water in the colon and less water in your stool and that is constipation my friend.

Hypertension or high blood pressure. This can affect the way your colon moves stool through your bowel. Why? Anything that affects this blood flow can slow this process down compacting your stool and that is constipation. Again, causing irritation and unfortunately, hemorrhoids.

Obesity. Any added weight on the rectal veins can cause inflammation.

Cigarette and/or caffeine besides being generally bad for you. Smoking may lead to severe internal bleeding of veins inside rectum area, which can cause diarrhea, loose stool and irritation in the anus. Caffeine ingestion increases blood pressure and with increased blood pressure …again affects how the colon deals with stool.

Many medications can cause constipation. Please check with your doctor and read the labels.

Pregnancy. High blood pressure is hereditary in many families. Unfortunately, the symptoms of this are increased or caused do to pregnancy and that is how many pregnant women became constipated. And thus I developed hemorrhoids.