External Hemorrhoids

You know how some things tend to run in families? If your father or grandfather suffered from male pattern baldness, you or your siblings could too. If your uncle Joe has diabetes, your doctor may test you more often for it. If your mom suffered from high blood pressure, your doctor will check your blood pressure more often. That’s because some things that your family members have problems with, may be passed on to you or make you genetically more susceptible to them than people who don’t have those things in their families would be.

The same may be said of both internal and external hemorrhoids. If your parents or grandparents had a problem with hemorrhoids, then you may be genetically predisposed to them yourself. Does that mean you will definitely have a problem with them? No. It does, however, mean that you may want to use preventive measures to make sure you remain as healthy down there as possible.

If you are genetically predisposed to having an external hemorrhoid problem, you will want to make sure you take good care of your bowel habits, your nutritional needs, your water intake, and your circulatory health. Hemorrhoids are most often caused by either constipation or poor circulation. Constipation may irritate your veins, causing them to swell considerably. The result may be a hemorrhoid that is painful and tender.

Poor circulation can also cause hemorrhoids. After all, hemorrhoids are a vein problem. If you get enough exercise and take care of your heart and blood pressure, you may be able to avoid getting hemorrhoids if you are genetically predisposed to them because of circulatory problems.

Other things you can do include telling your doctor about any family history of hemorrhoids. He will help keep a check on things for you and look for potential problems when you have your yearly exam. He may also suggest things you can do to ensure your remaining free of external hemorrhoids.

On the other hand, if you are someone who suffers from hemorrhoids and you are not willing to share the fact with your family, you may be putting them at risk. Telling your adult children, and even your adult grandchildren about your hemorrhoid problem may give them a heads up about potential problems they may be genetically predisposed to. By sharing this sensitive and personal information, you may be saving them the pain and suffering that they may do through without knowing that it runs in the family.

Being genetically predisposed to something doesn’t mean that you will get it or develop problems with it. It simply means that you need to be aware of your increased risk and take the precautions necessary to avoid having problems with it.