At the end of every year we start seeing lists on about any topic you can imagine. People take to the internet to chronicle the ‘best of’ this and the ‘most common’ that. One of the biggest trends over the past several years has been to look at the Google Zeitgeist Year in Review. This is the list that tells us what people searched for on Google over the course of the year, and while some of the results are exactly what you would expect (like celebrities, pop songs and blockbuster films), others take us by surprise.
For example, many people are scratching their heads at the search volume for hemorrhoids in 2012. Throughout the United States, including in Los Angeles and Beverly Hills, hemorrhoids was the most commonly searched health condition this past year, topping other common health concerns like celiac disease, STDs and type 2 diabetes, all contenders that made it into the top 10.
Why Hemorrhoids?
Hemorrhoids aren’t a subject that received a lot of news attention this past year, so it came as a big surprise to just about everyone that the rectal condition was so frequently searched for. But in reality, the lack of attention that hemorrhoids get on a regular basis may be exactly why information about the condition is so highly sought after.
Symptomatic hemorrhoids affect about 20 million Americans, but many of those who have the condition are hesitant to alert their physician or obtain treatment. While there are a collection of alternative remedies that are heavily marketed and dietary strategies promoted for the prevention and elimination of hemorrhoid symptoms, these strategies are not as successful as the medical intervention your colorectal specialist can provide.
Trend experts have made a few predictions as to why interest in hemorrhoids spiked in 2012. For one thing, hemorrhoids can be associated with obesity. In fact, about one in every 25 diagnosed hemorrhoids may be attributed to the poor dietary and bowel habits observed in this group of individuals. The growth of obesity as a health hazard in the United States could be a huge contributing factor to the heightened interest in the condition.
Many people realize they have a hemorrhoid by the presence of blood on their toilet tissue. This rectal bleeding is typical with hemorrhoids, as the swollen veins can tear easily during a bowel movement. However, anal bleeding is something that needs to be taken seriously, so it is not safe to assume that the presence of blood after a bowel movement is a hemorrhoid. This is something that you should have evaluated by a physician immediately.
To learn more about hemorrhoids, or to have your hemorrhoids evaluated or treated by a colorectal specialist, contact us.
