Rectal Disease Treatment: New Approaches

The trend that people with rectal diseases are getting younger

At the 2025 National Scientific Conference on “Updating Advances in Diagnosis and Treatment of Anorectal Diseases Combining Modern Medicine and Traditional Medicine” held on October 11, Associate Professor, Doctor of Medicine Le Manh Cuong, Deputy Director of the Vietnamese Academy of Traditional Medicine, Director of Tue Tinh Hospital and Chairman of the Vietnamese Association of Anorectal and Rectal Medicine said that the rate of people with hemorrhoids in the population of our country is currently quite high, accounting for about 20-30%, and showing a tendency towards rejuvenation.

These diseases also account for a high percentage worldwide, which is due to the connection between the disease and their daily life and eating habits. However, these are only risk factors. The main cause of these diseases is currently unclear.

“Previously, hemorrhoid patients aged 15 or 16 were very rare, mostly patients over 35 years old. But now there are many cases of patients at this age, even as young as 10 years old. Eating fast food, staring at cell phones and iPads for a long time and not getting enough exercise are high risk factors for the disease,” emphasized Professor Cuong.

Treatment of anal and rectal diseases is currently very effective. However, according to Associate Professor Le Manh Cuong, combining modern medicine with traditional medicine in the treatment of these diseases is a new, very important treatment direction that brings many positive effects to patients, reduces costs and has few side effects.

“We need to combine the positive benefits of traditional medicine with those of modern medicine to find the best and most effective treatment solutions for patients. In the past, traditional and modern medicine were like two parallel lines, so patients were at a disadvantage,” said Associate Professor Cuong.

Advantages of combining traditional and modern medical treatment

Associate Professor Le Manh Cuong gave an example: If the same patient has an indication for surgery according to modern medicine, traditional medicine can be combined for the patient immediately after the operation. Especially for people with diseases of the anus and rectum, soaking in traditional medicine can achieve high effectiveness.

“The use of traditional medicine in the postoperative period is often very safe for patients, inexpensive and has few side effects. However, patients should definitely not listen to what this or that person tells them, nor follow advertisements on social networks. They need the advice of experts in anorectal diseases,” emphasized Associate Professor Cuong.

In our country, diseases of the anus and rectum are recorded in both men and women, and in women, pregnancy is also a main factor causing the disease.

From the perspective of local professional management, the director of Thanh Hoa Health Department explained that the number of anorectal diseases is currently increasing, while in reality there is still a lack of specialized personnel and equipment is unevenly distributed at different levels. The facilities in some units are also limited.

This combination offers people a greater choice of treatment methods, increasing the effectiveness of the treatment. In addition, through scientific research activities, doctors and medical personnel can improve their knowledge sharing and develop their professional skills. At the same time, international cooperation and technology transfer are promoted.

Associate Professor Dr. Le Dinh Tung, deputy director of Hanoi Medical University’s Thanh Hoa branch, also said that this conference is the largest academic event of the year in the field of anorectal surgery in Vietnam, and is an opportunity to bring together doctors and young researchers to form multi-center research collaboration groups, thereby promoting the development of the field towards modernization and to promote international integration.

Currently, the proportion of hospitals and medical institutions nationwide that use traditional medicine to treat anorectal diseases is quite high. With this conference, experts also hope to develop a new protocol for the diagnosis and treatment of anorectal diseases to meet the increasing needs of patients.

Thuy Ha

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