Piles (haemorrhoids) occur due to increased pressure in the blood vessels in your rectum (the storage area that holds the stools) and anus (the opening at the end of the digestive system where solid waste leaves the body).
This is often because of straining when trying to pass a stool. The blood vessels in and around your anus become inflamed (red and swollen).
Others factors that can increase your chances of having haemorrhoids include:
- being overweight
- being constipated (unable to empty your bowels) regularly, often due to a lack of fibre in your diet
- prolonged diarrhoea
- regularly lifting heavy objects
- pregnancy, where you experience increased abdominal pressure on your pelvic blood vessel, causing your blood vessels to enlarge (the haemorrhoids often disappear after giving birth)
- being over 50 years of age (ageing can make the support structures in your body tissues weaker, making haemorrhoids more likely)
- having a family history of haemorrhoids, for example you may have inherited something from your parents that makes haemorrhoids more likely, such as having weak blood vessels
