Overview

• The cross-sectional PLOS One analysis surveyed 125 screening-colonoscopy patients at Beth Israel Deaconess and confirmed hemorrhoids endoscopically.
• After adjustment for age, sex, BMI, exercise, fiber intake and straining, toilet smartphone use was tied to 46% higher odds of hemorrhoids (p=0.044).
• Two-thirds reported using phones in the bathroom, and users were far more likely to sit longer per visit, with 37.3% exceeding five minutes versus 7.1% of non-users.
• Straining was not linked to hemorrhoids in this sample, while outside clinicians pointed to posture and the open toilet seat’s lack of pelvic support as plausible contributors.
• Authors advise leaving phones outside and limiting toilet time to roughly three to five minutes, and they call for larger, longitudinal studies to test causality.