Anal polyp - an innocuous build-up or cause for concern?

Polyps in medicine called the growth of the epithelium of the mucous surface lining the internal organs of man.

Anal polyps appear on the walls of the rectum. At primary stages they are completely benign neoplasms. Therefore, do not panic when you hear such a diagnosis.

However, the polyps of the anal canal are not so harmless. They are subject to mandatory removal, because they have the ability over time to grow from a benign neoplasm into a malignant tumor.

Polyps can be formed in people of different ages. Most often, this disease occurs after 40 years, but they also occur in children quite often.

Polyps of the so-called hereditary type are especially dangerous. In cases when a history of the patient revealed the presence of such a disease in relatives, there is a high risk of an early transformation of formations into a cancer tumor.

Distinguishing polyps from hemorrhoids

To determine the difference between anal polyps and hemorrhoids without the help of a qualifiedspecialist is almost impossible - too many similar signs have these diseases.

This is how polyps look in the anus

However, hemorrhoids, unlike polyps, are not associated with the appearance of neoplasms.

It occurs as a result of the development of inflammation and thrombosis of the hemorrhoidal veins located in the lower part of the intestine.

The cause of hemorrhoids is the stagnation of venous blood in the small pelvis.

Misleading, patients try to treat themselves, using the remedies recommended for fighting hemorrhoids.

In case of an error, they can deprive themselves of the precious time necessary to eliminate the disease before it goes into the oncology field.

Types of formations

Polyps differ in several parameters. They can be single, diffuse or multiple, in the form of a ball, an oval, a mushroom or a pear. And in some cases can grow bunches, resembling the appearance of a small head of cauliflower.

The base of the polyp can be located on a thin or wide stem or closely adjacent to the intestinal wall. Its color is more often similar to the color of the mucous membrane from the tissues of which it was formed.

But in the presence of a large number of blood vessels feeding the polyp, as well as in the case of the development of the inflammatory process, it can acquire a crimson, intensely red or even crimson color.

According to its structural features, the polyps are divided into:

• glandular;
• villous;
• hyperplastic;
• is juvenile.

Causes and risk factors

To date, there is no clear-cut opinion about the causes of polyps in the anus. It is believed that the disease can develop if the following risk factors are present in a person's life:

• hereditary predisposition;
• bad ecology;
• improper diet, accompanied by the consumption of fatty foods and a small amount of coarse plant fibers;
• physical inactivity;
• bad habits, including alcohol and tobacco.

Among the reasons a special place is occupied by:

• infringement of an intrauterine formation of an intestine at a fetus;
• pathological abnormality of the intestinal environment as a result of the development of enteritis, dysentery or colitis;
• vascular disease;
• presence of oncological lesions of internal organs.

As in the case of polyps, hereditary factors, low vascular elasticity, sedentary lifestyle, unbalanced diet and alcohol intake can be the causes of hemorrhoids.

Symptoms of the disease

In most cases, the formation of polyps of the anal opening occurs completely asymptomatic. A person can find out about the presence of a disease after a long time after his appearance.

But at a certain stage of the development of the disease the symptoms begin to appear: the

• is disturbed by intestinal permeability;
• there are pain, burning and discomfort in the anus;
• release of blood and mucus in the stool;
• pains in the abdomen;
• there is a feeling of presence in the intestine of a foreign body.

Diagnosis of the disease

It is possible to determine the presence and type of the disease as a result of the following diagnostic measures:

1. Palpation of the anus zone .This simple study allows the specialist to determine whether the patient has polyps, hemorrhoids, anal fissures and fistulas.
2. Recto-Maskoscopy .It makes it possible to study with the aid of a special instrument the intestine at a distance of 25 centimeters from the anus. Most often, anal polyps grow in this area.
3. Colonoscopy .Using the built-in colonoscope camera allows you to study the mucous surface of the colon at its full length.
4. Irrigoscopy .Assumes the study of different parts of the intestine using X-rays. This procedure allows you to identify individual polyps that have reached a diameter of 1 centimeter.

Approach to therapy

In contrast to hemorrhoids, polyps are not treated medically. Medicines and methods of traditional medicine do not have effective effects on this disease. The anal polyps found during the diagnostic study are deleted promptly.

In case the polyp is small, it is disposed of during the endoscopic examination, namely a colonoscopy or a sigmoidoscopy. In this case, the electroexcision method is used.

A special diathermic loop, mounted in a colonoscope, pounces on the leg of the detected polyp and gently tightens, cutting off the base and removing the build-up. It should be noted that the procedure for excising polyps is absolutely painless.

Large polyps can be removed by the same method, but in parts. If the polyps are located in the lower part of the large intestine, they are removed using a mini-operation.

This surgical procedure is performed on an outpatient basis and does not require placement of a patient in a hospital. However, before the procedure:

• the patient must adhere to the recommended diet;
• in the intestine should be stopped any inflammation.

The tissues of the removed polyp must undergo a histological examination to detect the presence of malignant cells in them. In case of detection of cancer, resection of the part of the intestine in which the polyps were formed.

Complications and Dangers of Pathology

In the vast majority of cases, the disorder is successfully treated by surgical removal of the nodes from the intestinal mucosa.

Complications can occur only in cases when the disease, not being timely noticed and identified, develops to the stage at which the transformation of a benign polyp into a malignant tumor begins.

However, even in the case of successful removal of polyps, the disease may return as relapses.

For the prevention of

As a measure of prevention of the appearance of anal polyps is mainly a systematic examination of the intestine.

Specialists strongly recommend that you undergo colonoscopy every year.

To reduce the risk of developing the disease, you need to pay attention to the diet:

• saturate the diet with stiff plant fibers( celery, cabbage, apples);
• replace fats of animal origin with their plant analogues;
• reduce alcohol consumption.

Polyposis is an example of how harmless at first glance the disease can be in the absence of a person's attention to their health, lead to very sad consequences.

Do not avoid preventive examinations, try to diagnose the disease yourself and engage in self-medication. It is much more correct to go in for sports, adhere to a competently balanced diet and consult a doctor in a timely manner.