Overview

• Researchers at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center reported the findings in PLOS One after surveying 125 adults undergoing colonoscopy in Boston.
• Two-thirds of participants (66%) said they use smartphones on the toilet, and phone users had 46% higher odds of hemorrhoids even after adjusting for factors such as age, sex, BMI, exercise, straining, and fiber intake.
• Phone users were far more likely to sit longer than five minutes (37% vs 7%), a behavior experts say increases pressure on hemorrhoidal cushions because the pelvic floor is unsupported on a toilet.
• Authors emphasized the small, cross-sectional, self-reported nature of the data and called for larger, longitudinal studies to test causality and inform prevention.
• Interim advice includes leaving phones outside the bathroom, keeping toilet time brief, boosting dietary fiber, and using posture aids to reduce straining, with BIDMC noting hemorrhoids drive nearly 4 million U.S. clinic and ER visits each year.