Am I infected with roundworms?
I'm embarrassed to say, but I started having anal itching symptoms at some point, so at first I thought I was infected with roundworms. It's been a while since I took deworming medicine, so I simply thought I should take it this time and get rid of it, and I took the deworming medicine twice a week to make sure it was dead. However, after two weeks of taking the deworming medicine, the symptoms didn't get better, and I started to feel something like a lump in my anus. Only then did I intuitively realize that it wasn't a parasitic infection. Could it be... I have hemorrhoids???
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| Albendazole, an antihelminthic drug |
For reference, the only route of infection with roundworms is through human waste. So in the past, when human waste was used as fertilizer, taking deworming medicine was an annual event because of the high incidence of roundworm infections. However, these days, most people use chemical fertilizers and hygiene standards have improved, so modern people rarely get infected with roundworms.
Deworming medicines that can be purchased over-the-counter at pharmacies include albendizole, which is effective against roundworms, so you don't necessarily have to take them. Rather, you should worry about distoma, which is transmitted through raw food such as raw fish, but the medicine to kill it is a specialized medicine that requires a doctor's prescription, so you can't take it as a preventive measure, but you have to be diagnosed with parasitic infection to live.
What is Hemorrhoids?
Hemorrhoids are a general term for benign (a type of tumor that does not spread to other tissues and therefore does not threaten life) or inflammatory diseases that occur in the anal area. Hemorrhoids include hemorrhoids (a swollen venous plexus of veins around the rectum and anus), fissures (a tear in the anal gland), and fistulas (an abscess that forms a path for pus in the skin and causes discharge to burst out through the weakest part of the anus).
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| Types of Hemorrhoids |
Among these, the most common disease that occurs in the anus is hemorrhoids, so when people say hemorrhoids, they usually mean hemorrhoids. Hemorrhoids are divided into external hemorrhoids and internal hemorrhoids. Internal hemorrhoids (cancerous hemorrhoids) are those inside the dentate line, and external hemorrhoids (male hemorrhoids) are those outside the anus. External hemorrhoids that occur outside the anus are further divided into common external hemorrhoids and thrombotic external hemorrhoids.
When hemorrhoids develop into thrombosis (blood clots that form when blood vessels burst inside), a hard lump can be felt and severe pain occurs. The pain can be relieved, but if left untreated, it can block blood vessels and cause complications, so surgical intervention is necessary.
Common external hemorrhoids do not have any particular symptoms, but you may feel irritation or itchiness around the anus, and if conservative treatment does not improve, then surgical excision is required.
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| External hemorrhoids and thrombotic external hemorrhoids |
Hemorrhoids, why do they occur?
Hemorrhoids are a disease that only occurs in upright walking apes and humans, and it is clear that they occur when the pressure in the anus increases. When the pressure in the anus increases, the anal cushion that delicately seals the anal canal slides down and expands abnormally, causing pain, itching, bleeding, etc., and causing great inconvenience in defecation and daily life (J Surg., 1975). The causes of increased anal pressure are very diverse, including pregnancy and childbirth, obesity, aging, chronic constipation, diarrhea, westernization of diet, stress, excessive exercise, genetic factors (family history), lack of exercise due to work-related habits that require standing or sitting for long periods of time, and car culture.
In Korea, hemorrhoid surgeries are the second most common major surgical procedure, with 179,073 cases, following cataract surgeries (592,191 cases). It is a common disease with a high incidence rate, with half of people over 50 having hemorrhoids. Compared to other countries, Koreans have a significantly higher incidence of hemorrhoids, with 1 in 4 people (25-30%, compared to 5-10% in other countries) suffering from hemorrhoids.
However, because of the location, it is difficult to tell anyone, and it is embarrassing to have to expose your anus when you go to the hospital, so most people do not treat it in time and let the disease get worse. When someone told me they had hemorrhoids in the past, I laughed it off, but now that I have it, the pain is indescribable. It is a double whammy of both mind and body.
Hemorrhoids, can they be cured naturally?
Treatment methods for hemorrhoids are divided into conservative treatment and surgical treatment, and surgical treatment is further divided into non-surgical treatment and surgical treatment. Among hemorrhoids, fistulas definitely require surgery to completely cure, while hemorrhoids and fissures can be treated conservatively if they are not severe.
The conservative treatment mentioned here refers to methods that are performed to slow down the symptoms or progression of the disease without surgery or procedures, such as warm sitz baths, drug therapy, a high-fiber diet, and correction of bowel habits. As the word conservative suggests, it is a treatment that only alleviates symptoms, and it does not completely remove lumps that have already occurred. Since hemorrhoids remain, the disease can progress further or cause complications, so it is best to go to the hospital as soon as possible to get a diagnosis and receive treatment.
Of course, conservative treatment is absolutely necessary regardless of whether surgery is performed, and there are cases where conservative treatment is recommended when pregnant women have hemorrhoid symptoms, but it is not because treatment is truly possible with conservative treatment alone, but rather to postpone treatment for a while. In short, hemorrhoids are not a disease that can be cured naturally. Sadly, once an anal disease occurs, it is impossible to return to the pretty anus before the onset unless surgery is performed.
Unbearable itching, anal pruritus
Diseases that cause contamination or moisture in the anal area can cause itching, but you should never scratch it. If you scratch, the skin around the anus will become deformed, hard and thick like atopic skin, and lumps called skin tags (sagging skin) can form, and the itching will get worse.
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| Progression of skin lichenification and dermatitis |
If you have anal itching, cleanliness is most important, so take care of it by using a shower in the morning and evening. The shower water pressure should not be too strong, and the water temperature should be around 40 degrees, not too hot. When the itching is severe, it is also helpful to take a sitz bath with cold water. Since the itching gets worse when the anus is wet, gently pat it with a dry towel after the sitz bath to keep it dry. Some people say that using a dryer instead of a towel to dry it thoroughly helps, but I do not recommend it because my anus hurts if it is too dry.
After defecation, it is better to wipe with water rather than toilet paper (wet tissues are recommended when going out). Even at this time, it is better to rub it with your hands or not use soap, but that is not easy. If you must use soap, use a small amount of neutral soap with less irritation, such as Dove. And when you take a sitz bath in the shower, if the water pressure is too strong or you use soap repeatedly, the area around the anus can become dry, causing large and small lacerations that can make it feel hot and sore. Applying a small amount of Vaseline can help.
When soaping, use a small amount only on the outside of the anus if necessary, and apply Vaseline evenly to the inside of the anus, not just the outside of the anus. Since applying too much Vaseline can cause anaerobic bacteria to proliferate and worsen the itching, apply a minimal amount, but massage it with warm water to soften the Vaseline and spread it evenly. People with hemorrhoids can experience pain when the anus tears during defecation, and the itching can be caused by inflammation caused by infection in the torn wound, which can lead to a vicious cycle. Applying Vaseline can make defecation easier.
However, since it is most important not to irritate the anus, it is best to endure it as much as possible even if it itches, and whether it is soap, Vaseline, or a sitz bath, you should try to reduce the frequency of use and not touch the anus. Chronic medication is not the answer, but if it is really itchy and you cannot sleep and are depressed and in pain, taking antihistamines is also recommended!
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| antihistamines |
Hemorrhoids are not the only cause of anal itching. Fissures and fistulas can also be itchy, and there are various causes, including diabetes, dermatitis, jaundice, diarrhea, leukorrhea, fungal infection, and pinworms. So, don't make your own judgment and go to the hospital immediately to get an accurate diagnosis and receive the right treatment for the cause.