Fortunately, hemorrhoids in children are uncommon but they do happen.
Either you are seeking information because you think your child may have hemorrhoids, or, the physician has told you that he does.
If your child is having rectal or anal symptoms such as pain, bleeding, itching, repeated bouts of constipation of diarrhea, it is of utmost importance that you take your child to the doctor in order to determine that you are not dealing with anything more serious.
If your child has been diagnosed by the doctor to have hemorrhoids, please study the following information and institute as many of the home care treatments which are suggested.
Remember, knowledge is power and the more you understand this basic information, the more prepared you will be to protect your child's health.
He or she is counting on you! Hemorrhoids in and of themselves are not dangerous.
However, having said that, I must add that there are dangers associated with hemorrhoids.
These dangers fall into two categories: First, there is the danger that the problem that you have is not actually hemorrhoids but a different, more serious condition.
Because of the large number of people afflicted with hemorrhoids, there is a tendency to think any problem with the anus or rectum is hemorrhoids.
This is something only your doctor can determine with certainty but we'll talk about the possibilities.
Secondly, there is a danger of complications associated with hemorrhoids.
There are some measures to take to minimize the occurrence of complications.
We'll talk about that too.
So, if the problem is not actually hemorrhoids, what else could it be? When you go to your doctor, he (or "she" in all cases) will seek a "differential diagnosis".
This means that he will eliminate all conditions that could account for the set of symptoms you are having.
It seems people fret about a diagnosis of cancer.
While this is a possibility, there are many other causes that could mimic hemorrhoid symptoms.
For example, if you have complaints of soreness or bleeding, he will do a careful visual inspection of the anus to look for cracks, called fissures, along the edges.
Or, if you have complaints of rectal bleeding, the physician will consider all what other disorders could cause rectal bleeding.
He will probably take a blood sample for a complete blood count.
While bleeding from hemorrhoids could be so severe as to cause anemia, it is unlikely.
Thus, if your blood count is seriously low, he will look for a source of the bleeding other than hemorrhoids.
If you have a prolapsed hemorrhoid, one that has actually come outside the anus, he may do a special x-ray called a proctogram to determine that there is not a growth inside the rectum that has forced the internal hemorrhoid out of the anus.
He may do a special nerve study called an EMG, to determine whether the muscles which function to keep your rectum in place are functioning properly or whether disease or childbirth is contributing to the problem.
If you have a sensation of soreness in the anal region, he may examine inside the anal opening to detect an abscess (pocket of pus) or a fistula which is an inflamed draining channel around the anal area.
The doctor may decide that he will do a differential diagnosis in reverse.
That is, if he fully believes your symptoms are due to hemorrhoids, he may treat you for hemorrhoids before anything else in order to determine whether the treatment is effective and thus verifying the diagnosis of hemorrhoids.
Either you are seeking information because you think your child may have hemorrhoids, or, the physician has told you that he does.
If your child is having rectal or anal symptoms such as pain, bleeding, itching, repeated bouts of constipation of diarrhea, it is of utmost importance that you take your child to the doctor in order to determine that you are not dealing with anything more serious.
If your child has been diagnosed by the doctor to have hemorrhoids, please study the following information and institute as many of the home care treatments which are suggested.
Remember, knowledge is power and the more you understand this basic information, the more prepared you will be to protect your child's health.
He or she is counting on you! Hemorrhoids in and of themselves are not dangerous.
However, having said that, I must add that there are dangers associated with hemorrhoids.
These dangers fall into two categories: First, there is the danger that the problem that you have is not actually hemorrhoids but a different, more serious condition.
Because of the large number of people afflicted with hemorrhoids, there is a tendency to think any problem with the anus or rectum is hemorrhoids.
This is something only your doctor can determine with certainty but we'll talk about the possibilities.
Secondly, there is a danger of complications associated with hemorrhoids.
There are some measures to take to minimize the occurrence of complications.
We'll talk about that too.
So, if the problem is not actually hemorrhoids, what else could it be? When you go to your doctor, he (or "she" in all cases) will seek a "differential diagnosis".
This means that he will eliminate all conditions that could account for the set of symptoms you are having.
It seems people fret about a diagnosis of cancer.
While this is a possibility, there are many other causes that could mimic hemorrhoid symptoms.
For example, if you have complaints of soreness or bleeding, he will do a careful visual inspection of the anus to look for cracks, called fissures, along the edges.
Or, if you have complaints of rectal bleeding, the physician will consider all what other disorders could cause rectal bleeding.
He will probably take a blood sample for a complete blood count.
While bleeding from hemorrhoids could be so severe as to cause anemia, it is unlikely.
Thus, if your blood count is seriously low, he will look for a source of the bleeding other than hemorrhoids.
If you have a prolapsed hemorrhoid, one that has actually come outside the anus, he may do a special x-ray called a proctogram to determine that there is not a growth inside the rectum that has forced the internal hemorrhoid out of the anus.
He may do a special nerve study called an EMG, to determine whether the muscles which function to keep your rectum in place are functioning properly or whether disease or childbirth is contributing to the problem.
If you have a sensation of soreness in the anal region, he may examine inside the anal opening to detect an abscess (pocket of pus) or a fistula which is an inflamed draining channel around the anal area.
The doctor may decide that he will do a differential diagnosis in reverse.
That is, if he fully believes your symptoms are due to hemorrhoids, he may treat you for hemorrhoids before anything else in order to determine whether the treatment is effective and thus verifying the diagnosis of hemorrhoids.
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