The Common Causes of Rectal Lumps | Minneapolis & St Paul

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A rectal lump is one of the common symptoms in the anorectal diseases in Minnesota. A rectal lump is a growth in the anal canal or rectal area. Rectal lumps vary in size and the degree to which they produce symptoms. Depending on the underlying cause, a rectal lump may or may not cause any pain.

Should you be worried about that bump you just discovered back there? A palpable mass in the anal area may or may not indicate cancer or hemorrhoids. Lumps can be caused by a variety of conditions including anal warts, hemorrhoids, polyps, fissures, or cancer.

  • Hemorrhoids are probably the most common reason for having a rectal lump in Minnesota. It can be caused by internal hemorrhoids, but more commonly by external hemorrhoids. If a rectal lump is related to internal hemorrhoids, it usually gets bigger and more prolapsed right after the bowel movement; it could be spontaneously reduced in the early stage of internal hemorrhoids. But it could be non-reducible in the late stage of hemorrhoids. It may be associated with other symptoms such as bleeding, itch or pain. The thrombosed external hemorrhoids are usually very painful if the varicose veins rupture and the blood clots develop.
  • Anal warts are caused by human papilloma virus (HPV). HPV infection is considered to be sexually transmitted diseases. Left untreated, anal warts can spread and increase the risk of cancer in the rectal and anal region.
  • Anal Fissure is a small cut or split in the anal lining often caused by a painful, hard bowel movement. Fissures are typically located anterior or posterior to the anus. Anal fissure is often associated with a lump called sentinel pile, accompanied by pain and bleeding.
  • Rectal Cancer. The rectum is the last six inches of the body’s digestive system, exiting through the anus. One cause of a rectal lump is rectal cancer. Symptoms that require doctor’s attention include blood in the stool, change in bowel habits, tired feeling, abdominal discomfort, change in appetite, or unexplained weight loss.
  • Anal cancer occurs in the anal canal, it is account for 2% of cancer in the gastrointestinal tract. An external or internal mass may be palpable. Anal or rectal cancer generally do not produce any pain; Some lesions are so soft that they are missed on palpation. Anal cancer can take several forms including ulcers, polyps or verrucous growths.
  • Anorectal abscesses are the result of infection of anal glands in the lining of the anal canal near the opening of the anus. The patient usually has the painful swollen lump if it is superficial abscess. The presence of an abscess warrants surgical incision and drainage as soon as possible. Just antibiotics would be ineffective at this stage in the infection.

If you feel a lump in the anal or rectal area, contact our hemorrhoid clinics in Edina to determine the cause and get treatment. You should seek immediate medical care if the associated symptoms are serious such as high fever, drainage of pus from a rectal lump, severe pain, or bloody stool.

History of Hemorrhoid | Minneapolis & St Paul

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As early as 2250 BC hemorrhoids have been recorded in literature to some extent. It would probably be safe to say that it is one of the oldest ailments known to people. The Egyptians were the first people who medically recorded the remedies for hemorrhoids. They used a poultice of dried acacia leaves with a linen bandage to heal protrusions and inflammations of venous material. A Greek physician named Hippocrates also wrote about hemorrhoids describing it as bile or phlegm which is determined to be the veins in the rectum. He treated the anal protusions very crudely avocating pulling the tissue off with the finger tips, or pulling the veins upward, while someone puts a hot iron to the hemorrhoid and burns it off. The first recorded endoscopy (use of speculum to inspect the rectum)can also be credited to Hippocrates. Even the bible has records of hemorrhoids in the earliest times from the Old Testament Book of Samuel 5:9 Philistines, “punished with emerods” and Samuel 5:12, “People who moved the Ark to Ekron were punished with emerods”.

One of the earliest known hemorrhoid treatments was with the aloe vera plant. Dioscorides, a Roman physician started using that to treat inflamed hemorrhoids. Then approximately 130-200 AD a Roman physician named Emperor Marcus Aurelius (Galen) prescribed ointment, laxatives, and leeches for hemorrhoids treatment. During the same time period in India, the use of clamp and cautery was used to get rid of hemorrhoids and control bleeding.

Between the 5th and 10th Century, Byzantine physicians used thread to ligate the base of the hemorrhoid and then followed by its amputation.

In 1935, Doctors E.T.C. Milligan and C. Naughton Morgan further studied the excision and ligation methods, which later became the gold standard in hemorrhoidectomy.

In the 1960s, banding of larger hemorrhoids was introduced with rubber band ligation.

In the 1970s, cryotheraphy, diathermy, and laser cauteries were developed for treatment.

In the 1990s, Stapled Hemorrhoidopexy, also known as Procedure for Prolapse & Hemorrhoids (PPH) was first described by an Italian surgeon – Dr. Antonio Longo, and since then has been widely adopted to treat the grade 3 and 4 hemorrhoids. Moreover, Another non surgical procedure, called Infra-red coagulation (IRC) was developed to treat the early stage of hemorrhoids.

The Management of Anal Tags | Minneapolis & St Paul

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Have you been using too much toilet paper because of pesky anal tags? Hemorrhoidal skin tags are flaps of skin or flesh found around the anus. They often form as a result of an existing hemorrhoid.

Anal tags are the shapeless lumps and flaps of skin and tissue found at the anal verge. They’re quite common and usually come with other anorectal problems, such as hemorrhoids.

Anal skin tags often occur if an individual heals the thrombosed external hemorrhoids at home without surgery, the thrombosed hemorrhoids may leave behind skin tags. Anal sentinel tags may also form because of non-hemorrhoid causes, such as anal fissure, surgery, or infection, etc.

Despite the fact that people often confuse them with cancerous growths, skin tags are benign and present no serious health concerns.

Hemorrhoidal skin tags often don’t cause significant rectal symptoms, but they often affect the cleansing after bowel movement. If feces become trapped beneath the skin tags, it can cause irritation and lead to itching and further inflammation. Skin tags can also cause pain when it flairs up or if there’s another underlying rectal problem.

Patients suffering discomfort or itching due to hemorrhoidal skin tags can treat the condition with the following:

  • Thorough cleaning of the affected area after bowel movement. May use gentle cleansers, such as witch hazel or aloe vera extract.
  • Do a Sitz bath with warm water.
  • May use OTC hemorrhoid cream to reduce irritation and swelling.
  • If the skin tags frequently cause symptoms, individuals may consider having them removed surgically.
  • Most patients who have anal tags often have hemorrhoids, too, they should consider complete care by treating internal hemorrhoids before removal of anal tags or at the same time.

Excision of anal tags:
Anal tags can easily be removed in the office using local anesthetic. A radiofrequency device is used to get rid of skin tabs and resurface the anal area to acquire a good cosmetic result. The procedure takes less than 10 minutes and patients are safe to drive immediately afterwards. There may be mild postoperative pain and discomfort with bowel movement in the first week. The patients are typically able to go back to work next day although the whole healing process may take a few weeks. If the patient needs a hemorrhoidectomy, anal tags can be removed together as part of hemorrhoidectomy. If the anal tag is extensive, two stages of surgery may be necessary to avoid anal stenosis.

Why does Pregnancy Make Minnesota Women More Prone to Hemorrhoids?

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Hemorrhoids are very common complaints during pregnancy. It afflicts 20 to 50 percent of all pregnant women in Minnesota. The hemorrhoids are actually varicose veins in the anorectal area, and although it is usually not dangerous, it can be very annoying. Four cardinal symptoms of hemorrhoids are itching, pain, bleeding and bulging out. The good news is that hemorrhoids will begin to improve soon after giving birth.

Some women in Minnesota get them in the first pregnant, others get recurrent hemorrhoids. hemorrhoidsusually get worse in the third trimester, right after labor pushing or if you develop constipation. The worst scenario of hemorrhoids in the pregnant women is the sudden onset of thrombosed external hemorrhoids. The patients develop the painful bulging out in the anus which needs the urgent intervention to relieve pain.

Why does pregnancy make women in Minneapolis and St Paul areas more prone to hemorrhoids? There are several reasons on it. First, hemorrhoids are a type of venous disease similar to varicose veins. Second, the enlarging uterus plus increased blood flow put pressure on the pelvic veins and other large veins that increases the pressure on the veins and causes them to become more dilated. Third, constipation is another common problem during pregnancy, which can also aggravate hemorrhoids due to the straining. Fourth, an increase in progesterone hormone during pregnancy causes the walls of hemorrhoidal veins to relax, allowing them to swell more easily. Moreover, progesterone slows down women’s digestive tract and contributes to constipation.

Interesting Stories about Hemorrhoids | Minneosta – Patron Saint & Napoleon’s Hemorrhoids

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More than 10 million people in the United States suffer from hemorrhoids. Three out of four people in Minnesota will develop hemorrhoids at some time in their lives. In fact, the disease is so common that hemorrhoid sufferers have their own patron Saint, St. Fiacre.

Patron Saint of Hemorrhoid Sufferers

During the middle ages, an integral part of the therapy for certain ailments included prayer to “patron” saints for possible divine intervention. Through legends surrounding his life, St. Fiacre, a 7th century Irish monk, became the patron saint for hemorrhoid sufferers (and gardeners). During medieval times, hemorrhoids were known as St. Fiacre’s curse. St. Fiacre is also known as the patron saint of gardeners because he could farm all the land and manage to cultivate in a single day. As the legend goes, the saint was given a rather small shovel by his bishop and spent very long days spading his garden and developed a severe case of prolapsed hemorrhoids. Seeking a solution, he sat on a stone and prayed for help. The legend states he enjoyed a miraculous cure from the stone.

Napoleon Bonaparte’s Hemorrhoids

Napoleon Bonaparte had long suffered from hemorrhoids. On last day of the battle of Waterloo he was unable to mount his horse, and his doctors accidentally overdosed him with laudanum. Researchers believe that it’s possible that’s what caused the fatal delay starting the battle. It is pretty well known that if Napoleon had begun the battle earlier, the Duke of Wellington would not have been able to join forces with Blucher and the battle most likely would have been lost.

Complications Related to Hemorrhoids in Minnesota

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Not everyone in Minnesota knows that hemorrhoids are actually part of the normal anatomy and that every human body has them, so hemorrhoids should not be embarrassing. When people in Minnesota complain about “hemorrhoids”, they are often referring to symptoms in the perianal and rectal areas. The rectal symptoms caused by hemorrhoids are the most common ailments affecting humans, almost everyone in Minneapolis and St Paul areas will develop symptoms at some time in their life, and significant percentage will develop chronic symptoms. Although hemorrhoids are usually not life threatening, they can certainly interfere with one’s quality of life.

Complications of hemorrhoids in Minnesota include:

Anal Itching
Anal itching, or pruritis, is one of the most common symptoms related to hemorrhoid disease in Minnesota. Anal itching is instigated by the anal skin inflammation triggered by the hemorrhoids. Excessive wiping and scratching further damage the perianal skin and causes chronic dermatitis. Over use of OTC hemorrhoid cream containing steroid can cause the damage in the perianal skin. The patients may develop the true complication called Pruritic Ani with persistent cyclic anal itching.

Thrombosed External hemorrhoid
Thrombosed external hemorrhoid occurs when the enlarged hemorrhoidal venous complex ruptures, a blood clot can then form in the hemorrhoid. Thrombosed external hemorrhoids are usually quite painful, and it requires immediate surgical intervention to remove the blood clot. We often receive the urgent calls from the patients in the Minneapolis and St Paul areas because of painful anal bulging out due to thrombosed external hemorrhoid.

Anemia
Chronic blood loss from hemorrhoids may cause anemia, resulting in fatigue and weakness. We had a few cases in Minnesota in the past few years that developed severe iron deficiency anemia due to hemorrhoidal bleeding, and their Hemoglobin dropped to as low as 5 or 6.

Strangulated hemorrhoid
When the hemorrhoids are so severe that they prolapse, it leads to the anal sphincter spasm due to pain and irritation. Persistent sphincter spasm can cut off blood supply to an internal hemorrhoid which causes more swelling of hemorrhoid tissue, it turns into a vicious cycle. Eventually, the hemorrhoid may be “strangulated,” which can cause extreme pain and lead to tissue death. Strangulated hemorrhoid is a very rare complication.

Infection
The local inflammation triggered by the bulging hemorrhoids causes the swelling and erosion of anorectal mucosa, which may increase the chance of infection. Opportunistic bacteria and microorganisms established on feces and the surrounding might attack and flourish in the damaged tissue.

Causes of Rectal Lumps in Minnesota

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A rectal lump is one of the common symptoms in the anorectal diseases in Minneapolis and St Paul areas. A rectal lump is a growth in the anal canal or rectal area. Rectal lumps vary in size and the degree to which they produce symptoms. Depending on the underlying cause, a rectal lump may or may not cause any pain.

Should you be worried about that bump you just discovered back there? A palpable mass in the anal area may or may not indicate cancer or hemorrhoids. Lumps can be caused by a variety of conditions including anal warts, hemorrhoids, polyps, piles of fissures, or cancer.

1. Hemorrhoids are probably the most common reason for having a rectal lump in Minnesota. It can be caused by internal hemorrhoids, but more commonly by external hemorrhoids. If a rectal lump is related to internal hemorrhoids, it usually gets bigger and more prolapsed right after the bowel movement; it could be spontaneously reduced in the early stage of internal hemorrhoids. But it could be non-reducible in the late stage of hemorrhoids. It may be associated with other symptoms such as bleeding, itch or pain. The thrombosed external hemorrhoids are usually very painful if the varicose veins rupture and the blood clots develop. Hemorrhoidal tags are redundant skin without varicose veins, either due to the stimulation from local inflammation or after the resolution of thrombosed external hemorrhoids.

2. Anal warts are caused by human papilloma virus (HPV). HPV infection is considered to be sexually transmitted diseases. Left untreated, anal warts can spread and increase the risk of cancer in the rectal and anal region.

3. Anal Fissure is a small cut or split in the anal lining often caused by a painful, hard bowel movement. Fissures are typically located anterior or posterior to the anus. Anal fissure is often associated with a lump called sentinel pile, accompanied by pain and bleeding.

4. Rectal Cancer. The rectum is the last six inches of the body’s digestive system, exiting through the anus. One cause of a rectal lump is rectal cancer. Symptoms that require doctor’s attention include blood in the stool, change in bowel habits, tired feeling, abdominal discomfort, change in appetite, or unexplained weight loss.

5. Anal cancer occurs in the anal canal, it is account for 2% of cancer in the gastrointestinal tract. An external or internal mass may be palpable. Anal or rectal cancer generally do not produce any pain; Some lesions are so soft that they are missed on palpation. Anal cancer can take several forms including ulcers, polyps or verrucous growths.

If you feel a lump in the anal or rectal area, contact One Stop Medical Center in Edina or Shoreview to determine the cause and get treatment. You should seek immediate medical care if the associated symptoms are serious such as high fever, drainage of pus from a rectal lump, severe pain, or bloody stool.