This site is intended for healthcare professionals

Sign in
Go to /sign-in page

You can view 5 more pages without signing in

Clinical features

Last reviewed dd mmm yyyy. Last edited dd mmm yyyy

Authoring team

Haemorrhoids often only produce intermittent symptoms. Symptomatic episodes are often precipitated by constipation. These episodes usually last from a few days to a few weeks. Often they are completely asymptomatic between episodes.

Clinical features of haemorrhoids (piles) include:

bright red bleeding after defaecation:

  • may just stain the toilet paper or streak the faeces (it is not mixed in)
  • if copious it may splash around the lavatory pan

  • faecal soiling due to impaired continence

  • mucus discharge

  • pruritus ani, caused by a persistent discharge irritating the perianal skin

 

  • a feeling of incomplete evacuation after a bowel movement if prolapse occurs

  • occasionally pain:
    • thrombosis may cause acute severe anal pain occasionally necessitating hospital admission

  • grades 2-4 may be felt as a rectal mass

Related pages

Create an account to add page annotations

Create a free account

Annotations allow you to add information to this page that would be handy to have on hand during a consultation. E.g. a website or number. This information will always show when you visit this page.

The content herein is provided for informational purposes and does not replace the need to apply professional clinical judgement when diagnosing or treating any medical condition. A licensed medical practitioner should be consulted for diagnosis and treatment of any and all medical conditions.

Connect

Copyright 2024 Oxbridge Solutions Limited, a subsidiary of OmniaMed Communications Limited. All rights reserved. Any distribution or duplication of the information contained herein is strictly prohibited. Oxbridge Solutions receives funding from advertising but maintains editorial independence.