• bionicjoey@lemmy.ca
    116·
    9 months ago

    I recall this question coming up on Reddit with some regularity (no pun intended). The typical answer I saw was something like “your rectum has a really strong immune system”

    • Pirky@lemmy.world
      371·
      9 months ago

      That’s what I remember reading, too. I think that particular area gets its own lymph node system or something like that. Similar to how our head and neck have their own dedicated system.
      Those areas are prone to bacteria, so they get beefed up protections.

      • Contramuffin@lemmy.world
        30·
        9 months ago

        Something kinda like that. They’re called Peyer’s Patches, and they’re like a base of operations for immune cells. They not only gather there, but they also scout out the bacteria present by reaching through the intestinal lining and pulling some of the stuff through.

        Also, a lot of bacteria in our guts aren’t really trying to get into our system. The intestinal epithelium produces mucus to prevent bacteria from getting close to the intestinal lining, and most bacteria are pretty chill with that

        • herrcaptain@lemmy.ca
          7·
          9 months ago

          Damn, it’s gotta suck to be born an immune cell and get assigned to work out of the butthole for your short life.

          • Contramuffin@lemmy.world
            6·
            9 months ago

            It suck to be an immune cell in general. Many disease-causing bacteria have evolved ways to subvert and kill immune cells in spectacular ways. And immune cells generally just have pretty short lifespans to begin with

    • ColeSloth@discuss.tchncs.de
      41·
      9 months ago

      Yep. I recall the same thing. More immune system stuff hangs out around your butthole all ready to woop some ass.

  • snooggums@midwest.socialEnglish
    762·
    9 months ago

    That part of the body, like your mouth, has features that greatly reduce the chance of infection because they are the entry and exit points for foreign objects or waste. It is complicated how it all works, but in short your body really needs those parts to bot get infected, so it adapted ways to keep that from happening.

    That was the explanation I got from the doc when mine first showed up.

    Edit: All hail the rise of the butt bots!

  • toynbee@lemmy.world
    38·
    9 months ago

    I am not qualified to answer this, but I did once see a similar question asked on Reddit. The best response I saw was from a commenter whose name I can’t remember, else I would credit them.

    That commenter said that his infant daughter had required an operation on her rectum. The commenter asked the surgeon how the surgery site could possibly not become infected and was told “the asshole knows how to handle shit.”

    That answer seemed reasonable to me and I probably will never forget it.

  • ivanafterall@kbin.social
    212·
    9 months ago

    Probably a lot of us do have infected buttholes, but just don’t realize it. It’s a silent but deadly epidemic.

  • Snot Flickerman@lemmy.blahaj.zoneEnglish
    12·
    9 months ago

    Username checks out, it was the first word out of my mouth when I read this question.

    Good question though, looking forward to (hopefully) informed answers.

  • Strayce@lemmy.sdf.orgEnglish
    11·
    9 months ago

    Fairly sure it’s because of the difference in environment. Gut bacteria tend to be anaerobic fermenting species, whereas the external part and blood are more aerobic. It’s been a while since i did physiology and microbio tho, someone correct me if I’m wrong.

  • 31415926535@lemm.ee
    10·
    9 months ago

    This is a genuine question I’ve wondered about a lot. Kudos for oddly realistic originality.

  • Kyrgizion@lemmy.world
    91·
    9 months ago

    Basically blood pressure keeps most things out, and you probably wouldn’t purposely rub a meaty turd in an open wound regardless. I hope.

      • AlligatorBlizzard@sh.itjust.works
        8·
        9 months ago

        Yup. Oreos are vegan so it’s totally fine to eat an entire package for dinner! (I had a vegan friend who did this one time, and we were all joking about it being healthy because it’s vegan.)

      • Omega_Haxors@lemmy.mlEnglish
        5·
        9 months ago

        Vegens don’t shit, they absorb 100% of the nutrients and produce zero waste products. They’re basically plant people.

  • grasshopper_mouse@lemmy.world
    71·
    9 months ago

    I’m in my 40s and never had hemeroids. Are they really that common? Or maybe I have and I didn’t know (but surely I would, right??)?

    • thisisnotgoingwell@programming.dev
      19·
      9 months ago

      They can be pretty common for certain people. I’ve dealt with hemorrhoids since I was 20, my dad also started getting them pretty young too. They tend to “flare up” if you eat food that irritates them. For me it’s something that I deal with every few months or so. When I get them, I gotta squirt a tube of ointment up my ass and they’re usually gone the next day. It’s a very humbling experience. I came as a poor migrant, no college education and through will and determination I became a self taught engineer about to turn 30 who makes six figures, and I occasionally have to squirt a tube of preparation H ointment up my ass.

  • atturaya@lemmygrad.ml
    41·
    9 months ago

    kind of unrelated, but hemorrhoids are only common because something like 95% of people don’t eat the (already low) recommended amount of fiber. eat lots of fiber, people.