The Relationship Between Smartphone Use in the Lavatory and Hemorrhoidal Disease

Abstract

Aim: Hemorrhoidal disease is a proctological problem that affects a large portion of the population at some point. Nowadays, excessive use of smartphones combined with evolving social media habits has resulted in the smartphone being used in the lavatory. Method: The study group consisted of patients admitted to the general surgery outpatient clinic with hemorrhoids, and the control group consisted of healthy volunteers with no such complaints. All participants were given a questionnaire with questions about their smartphone usage habits. The degree of hemorrhoidal disease, if any, was determined by an experienced general surgeon who performed the physical examinations. Results: The study group had 882 participants and the control group had 802. While 64.7% (571) patients of the former took their smartphones with them to the lavatory, only 38.4% (308) participants of the control group did (p<0.001). Of the study group, 49.9% actually used their smartphones while in the lavatory, whereas only 27.3% of the control group did (p<0.001). For every additional minute spent using a smartphone in the lavatory, the likelihood of being in the hemorrhoid group increased by 1.26 times (95% confidence interval =1.162-1.364). Conclusion: Smartphones are now commonly used even in the lavatory, and this habit may be a risk factor for hemorrhoids. Therefore, to treat hemorrhoids, it is advisable for patients to abandon this habit. © Copyright 2021 by Turkish Society of Colon and Rectal Surgery