Only a few diseases are referred to so many names Hemorrhoids. Here are some of the variants of the name that are used by people that have got in contact with this disease and that are looking for causes and symptoms, cures and treatments: piles (used to describe this disease for more then a century, an alternative name), hemroids (the most common misspell, used often by people), hemorhoids (with a single 'r'), hemorroids (without the silent 'h' in the middle).

Of course, you may be wondering what is correct spelling. It is hemorrhoids ? a common name in the medicine circles. Occasionally, haemorrhoids is also used, but this is an older term, seldom used in medical publications.

According to some estimates, 45% to 50% of people all over the world, who are more than 51 years of age, suffer from this disease. This does not mean that younger people can't get it. There is just less probability. This means one from any 2 people has this disease. Another interesting thing, more males then females suffer from hemorrhoids. Where is the sexes equality now? Most cases of ladies affected by bleeding hemroids are associated with the increased pressure on the anal region caused by the pregnancy. In the USA, for example, the prevalence is about 4.4%. In an year, almost half a million people in the U.S. are treated for hemorrhoids, with 10 to 20% of them requiring surgeries.

Another fact is that all of us have hemorrhoids and it is perfectly normal to have them, but only when they are noticeable - they don't remain out of sight, and show signs of hemroids and symptoms, we say that the person has hemorrhoids.

Standard hemorrhoid classification is dependent on the point of origin of the problem. There are mainly 2 types of hemorrhoids: internal and external. When hemorrhoids appear outside the anus, they are referred to as external hemorrhoids (they originate below the dentate line). This is easier to identify, usually from the bleeding and itching. Internal hemorrhoids are found inside the rectum and, needless to say, since there are no symptoms from the outside, they are harder to identify.