Although hemorrhoids—swollen blood vessels in the lower rectum—are a common condition, many patients are too embarrassed to ever seek treatment. Consequently, the true prevalence of pathologic hemorrhoids is not known. Furthermore, although hemorrhoids are responsible for a large portion of anorectal complaints, ruling out more serious conditions, such as other causes of gastrointestinal bleeding, before attributing symptoms to hemorrhoids is important.
In a study of 198 physicians from different specialties, Grucela and coworkers found that the rate of correct identification for seven common, benign anal pathologic conditions was lowest for hemorrhoids. The investigators found the overall diagnostic accuracy among the physicians to be 53.5%, with the accuracy for surgeons at 70.4% and the accuracy for the rest of the doctors < 50%.
Are you familiar with key aspects of hemorrhoids, as well as best practices for diagnosis and management? Refresh and test your knowledge with this short quiz.
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Cite this: Praveen K. Roy. Fast Five Quiz: Hemorrhoid Diagnosis and Treatment - Medscape - Mar 07, 2019.
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