A swollen vein in the tissue around the anus, which can be painful or itchy and sometimes bleed.
From Greek 'haima' (blood) + 'rhoos' (flowing), meaning 'blood-flowing.' The term originally referred to the bleeding characteristic of this condition, which ancient physicians observed regularly.
Remarkably, hemorrhoids have been documented in medical texts for over 3,000 years—ancient Egyptian papyri mention treatments for them! The condition is so common that about 75% of people will have one at some point in their lives.
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