Common symptoms include prolapse, bleeding, wetness, swelling and impaction. There is usually no bleeding or a small amount of bleeding, with dripping blood when the mucous membrane is rubbed in dry stools, blood in stools or blood when swabbed with hand paper. Some patients have a feeling of dampness due to the relaxation of the anal sphincter and weak contraction, often with mucus overflowing from the anus.
As the rectal mucosa prolapses, it causes rectal or colonic overturning, which presses on the anus and produces swelling. If the anorectal prolapse is not reset in time, the local venous reflux is blocked for a longer period of time, resulting in inflammation and swelling, and leading to impaction, at which point prompt medical attention is required to avoid further aggravation. In patients with thrombosed external haemorrhoids, there is usually significant tenderness and in connective tissue external haemorrhoids there is only discomfort or itching in the anal area after a bowel movement.