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Prevalence of hemorrhoids
Last reviewed: 07.07.2025
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It is very difficult to determine how many people suffer from hemorrhoids, because not everyone consults a doctor. For the same reason, it is not so easy to determine the actual prevalence of hemorrhoids in different countries. Doctors do this based on official data. However, in order to have an idea about this, it is important to familiarize yourself with the official information about this disease.
Are hemorrhoids shameful?
Many people are embarrassed to admit to their friends, acquaintances and especially doctors that they have hemorrhoids. Meanwhile, this must be done, because many silently suffer from pain in the anus, the nature of which is not clear. It may not be hemorrhoids at all, but cracks in the anus, weakness of the anal sphincter, cancerous tumor or something else.
Therefore, regardless of race, geographic location, social status of a person, if you suspect hemorrhoids, you should immediately consult a doctor. At least to clearly understand the nature and cause of the disease. And then you can determine what method to treat it.
General Prevalence of Hemorrhoids
According to official data from the Ministry of Health, hemorrhoids affect about 10% of people worldwide. These are the registered requests. As for the countries where most patients are susceptible to this disease, these are Sweden, the USA, Japan, Germany. As for Ukraine and Russia, these countries have the most requests for hemorrhoids from residents of large cities, in particular, capitals. Doctors explain this by a sedentary lifestyle, poor nutrition. Which is done on the go or people prefer fast food.
According to official data, out of 6-10% of people in all of Russia with hemorrhoids, up to 2% of Muscovites and up to 2% of Krasnoyarsk residents seek medical help for this reason. As for St. Petersburg, this figure is higher than 2%. Those who live in rural areas, eat more natural products and move around, performing various agricultural work, notice hemorrhoids much less often - up to 1%.
Hemorrhoids among other diseases
Among rectal diseases, hemorrhoids are the constant leader. This prevalence is up to 40%. And in 80% of patients with rectal diseases, hemorrhoids are the main disease. In 20% - concomitant. At the same time, each of the 12 patients requires urgent treatment - surgical or inpatient.
How does age affect hemorrhoids?
Most often, this disease affects able-bodied people between the ages of 20-40, but there are cases when even children from two to six years old suffer from this disease. At the same time, they also had constipation. What does the incidence of hemorrhoids look like in percentage by age?
- 15.5% of patients under 20 years of age
- 43.6% of patients aged 21-30 years
- 25.6% of patients are 31-40 years old
- 11.7% of patients are 41-50 years old
- 3.6% - 51 years and older
At the same time, the gradation by age groups that suffer from hemorrhoids the most is clearly visible.
Do all patients see a doctor when they have hemorrhoids?
Doctors have determined during surveys that not all people seek medical attention for hemorrhoids; they suffer in silence. This is the picture of visits to doctors that emerges according to official data. People who seek medical attention for hemorrhoids are:
- 3.3% of patients under 20 years of age
- 26.3% of patients aged 21 to 30 years
- 31.5% of patients aged 31 to 40 years
- 26.2% of patients aged 41 to 50 years
- 12.7% of patients aged 51 years and older
As we can see, no more than half of people at any age who suffer from this disease go to the doctor's office with hemorrhoids. This leads to a worsening of the course of this disease and complex consequences in the work of the gastrointestinal tract and rectum in particular. Based on these statistics, doctors have concluded who is more susceptible to hemorrhoids - men or women.
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How does gender affect hemorrhoids?
It is often said that hemorrhoids are a male disease. According to statistics, this is true. Considering that men generally do not like to go to the doctor and get treatment, especially since they silently tolerate hemorrhoids and turn to doctors only as a last resort, when self-medication and an unhealthy lifestyle lead to surgical intervention.
According to surveys, the percentage of men who seek medical attention for hemorrhoids is 77, while the percentage of women is 23. At the same time, the ratio of men and women with hemorrhoids is higher - 1 to 1.4, since not all cases of this disease are registered. This situation allows us to conclude that you need to see a doctor immediately and take better care of your health.