What are piles?

Everyone has cushions  high up in the anus composed of tissue rich in blood vessels. They allow normal anal distension at defecation and contribute a minor degree of continence . When they become enlarged and particularly when they slip down the anal canal (prolapse) they are know as haemorrhoids (piles).

Smaller haemorrhoids tend to bleed while larger ones can cause discomfort, itching, pain, moistness and/or a feeling of a lump "down below". Typical bleeding occurs during or immediately after opening your bowels; the bleeding from piles is bright red and drips or squirts into the toilet bowl, or is noted on toilet paper. Your bowel habit (the number of times per day or week you open your bowels) should not itself change.

While piles are very common, it is best to get advice from your doctor, especially if you are passing blood and/or you have had a change in bowel habit . Other conditions such as colitis (inflammation of the bowel), polyp (benign tumour) and cancer (malignant tumour) can manifest with similar symptoms.