How Did I Get Piles (Haemorrhoids)?
Suffer from chronic constipation, which increases the strain exerted on the blood vessels in the anal region?
Bring your handphone into the bathroom, causing you to sit for excessive periods of time on the toilet longer than necessary?
Regularly lift heavy weights, which places strain on the extremities of the body?
Eat more spicy food than your body can handle, causing frequent bowel movements?
Any of these will increase your risk of developing piles (haemorrhoids)!
These activities place increased pressure on the blood vessels around the anus, causing them to become inflamed and swollen. The walls of the blood vessels will then get stretched and possibly even break, causing the classic bleeding symptom.
What are the Types and Symptoms of Piles?
Types of Piles
Symptoms & Features
- Internal haemorrhoids form in the lining of the anus and the lower rectum
- Symptoms include pain, bleeding and prolapse when straining
- External haemorrhoids form under the skin around the anus
- Symptoms include pain, itching, feeling of a lump near the anus, leakage of mucous or faeces
Stages of Internal Piles
Symptoms & Features
- These haemorrhoids may bleed, but are completely inside the anal canal and usually don’t cause much, if any, discomfort.
- These haemorrhoids are larger and can protrude from the anus during bowel movements, but retracts back once the straining has stopped.
- These haemorrhoids protrude outside during bowel movements, but can be manually pushed back in.
- These haemorrhoids protrude all the time and cannot be pushed back in. At this stage, severe complications such as strangulation (where blood flow to the haemorrhoid is cut) and thrombosis (where a blood clot forms) can occur. These complications result in severe and sudden pain, and are emergencies that require immediate medical attention.
Our Surgeons
Dr Dennis Koh
Medical Director & Senior Consultant Surgeon
B Med Sci (Nottingham), MBBS (Nottingham),
MMed (Surgery), FRCS (Edinburgh), FAMS
Dr Dennis Koh is an MOH-accredited and experienced colorectal surgeon who specialises in piles treatment and is currently the Medical Director at Colorectal Practice.
Dr Koh strives to provide a customized treatment plan for each patient, which allows for better outcomes. He also honed his skills in proctology abroad in Geneva, bringing a more diverse touch to his practice.
Dr Sharon Koh Zhiling
Senior Consultant Surgeon
MBBS (Singapore), MMed (Surgery),
FRCS (Edinburgh), FAMS
Dr Sharon Koh is an experienced colorectal surgeon and the former Director of Endoscopy at Alexandra Health.
Dr Koh completed her fellowship at Cedars-Sinai Medical Centre in the US after being awarded the Academic Medicine Development Award by the National University Hospital.
Dr Pauleon Tan Enjiu
Senior Consultant Surgeon
MBBS (Singapore), MMed (Surgery),
FRCS (Edinburgh), FACS
Dr Pauleon Tan has served in public hospitals for over 15 years and is experienced in minimally invasive surgery and endoscopy.
Dr Tan undertook advanced colorectal surgical training at Japan’s Saitama International Medical Center after being awarded the Ministry of Health – Health Manpower Development Plan (HMDP) Award.