Praktické lekárnictvo 2/2015

Haemorrhoidal disease from community pharmacist´s point of view

Haemorrhoidal disease is the most common disease of rectum affecting approximately fifty percent of the adult population over fifty years from west countries. The incidence of the disease is about eight percent and the prevalence is about ten percent, the incidence rate between men and women is in a ratio of 1:4. However, these data may vary depending on regions. More than fifty percent of women suffer from haemorrhoidal disease during pregnancy and after giving birth (1, 2). For most of them, these health problems may persist until old age. Unpleasant symptoms of the disease, such as stinging, itching, pain and bleeding significantly reduce the quality of patient life. As it is an intimate health problem, most patients try to self-medicate their problems away firstly. The role of the pharmacist is not only to give proper advice to a patient by choosing drugs or medical devices but also to assess the seriousness of disease depending on medical symptoms and recommend to see a doctor if necessary.

Keywords: haemorrhoids, community pharmacist, therapy, diet regimen.