What is the difference between internal hemorrhoids and rectum? How to distinguish?

Bleeding is a common symptom of internal hemorrhoids. Many patients think that bloody stools are caused by hemorrhoids, but they do not know that other anorectal diseases such as rectal cancer can also cause symptoms of bloody stools. Many patients delay the treatment of rectal cancer because they mistake it for hemorrhoids. Causing lifelong regrets. So how do you differentiate between hemorrhoids and proctitis?

Difference 1: The most common blood in hemorrhoids' stools is bright red blood, which is not mixed with the stool but attached to the surface of the stool. It can also appear as dripping blood before and after defecation, and in severe cases it may appear as a jet, which often occurs when the stool is constipated.

About 80% of colorectal cancer patients have blood in their stools. However, the blood in the stool of rectal cancer manifests as persistent, chronic bloody stool with mucus. The blood is dark red and usually mixed with feces. The urge to defecate is frequent, and sometimes only some blood or mucus is passed without feces. Defecation is very difficult, and the incidence of blood in the stool is lower if the cancer is farther away from the anus.

Difference 2: Hemorrhoids will not cause difficulty in defecation, especially the stool becomes thinner. Even if hemorrhoids prolapse, it will only manifest as a short-term unwillingness to defecate due to the pain during defecation. Once the edema and inflammation subside, it will immediately return to normal.

Patients with rectal cancer may experience difficulty in defecation, thinning stools, abdominal distension, paroxysmal abdominal pain, and sometimes even rumbling sounds from the intestines. Once symptoms appear, they generally do not resolve on their own and often progressively worsen. This is the most obvious difference between bloody stools due to hemorrhoids and bloody stools due to rectal cancer.

Difference 3: The lumps caused by hemorrhoidal edema are often smooth, dark red or dark purple, and do not bleed easily when touched. The tumors in the bodies of patients with colorectal cancer often do not shrink, but only gradually grow larger, becoming cauliflower-like, light red, and easily bleed when touched.

If you find blood in your stool, you must not take it lightly. You must correctly identify the cause of the bleeding stool and go to a regular anorectal hospital for examination and treatment in time.

Expert reminder: If you have any unspeakable anorectal problems, you can call our hotline for free consultation. If you suffer from anorectal disease, you cannot delay the treatment of the disease for a long time. Some anorectal diseases will seriously harm the patient's health if not treated for a long time. Long-term non-treatment will easily induce the occurrence of multiple other anorectal diseases, which will seriously harm the patient's health and affect the patient's normal life. Therefore, in life, if you find that you have some symptoms of a certain anorectal disease, you must go to a professional anorectal specialist hospital for examination and treatment in time.