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The study links the use of toilet smartphones at a hemorrhoid risk almost 50% higher

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A new study suggests that bringing it your smartphone to the bathroom could increase your risk of hemorrhoids by almost 50%.

Researchers from the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) in Boston have found that adults who use their phone while sitting on the toilet are risky 46% higher to develop the painful situation, according to the results published this week in the journal Plos One.

The study questioned 125 adults with colonoscopies and compared their bathroom habits. Among the participants, 66% admitted having used their phones on the toilet.

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People who said they took their phone in the bathroom were 46% more likely to have hemorrhoids compared to others, regardless of age, weight, sex or fiber consumption.

Hemorrhoids, veins swollen in or around the rectum and anus which can cause pain, itching and bleeding, are often linked to tension during the stools and a prolonged seat on the toilet.

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A new study questioned 125 adults with colonoscopies and compared their bathroom habits. Among the participants, 66% admitted having used their phones on the toilet. (Kurt “Cyberguy” KTUSSON)

About 37% of participants who brought their phone in the bathroom were seated for more than five minutes, while only 7% of non-users persisted so long.

Young adults, especially those of the forties and the 1950s, were particularly subject to the habit compared to those over the age of 60. Respondents said they usually used their phones to read news, scroll through social media or send sms and emails.

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“Whether someone reads emails or plays a game, the risk probably comes from the duration of their base,” said the main author, Dr. Chethan Ramprasad, gastroenterologist at Beth Israel Deaconess and member of the faculty of the Harvard Medical School.

The risk remained even when researchers represented other factors, including tension, fiber consumption and exercise routines.

Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston, Massachusetts, United States, Wednesday, April 16, 2025, seen from the outside with cars at the front.

Researchers interviewed 125 adults during colonoscopies at the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. (Sophie Park / Bloomberg via Getty Images)

“This prolonged duration can be linked to the passive commitment that smartphones facilitate, potentially resulting in prolonged session and increased pressure in the hemorrhoidal cushions,” the researchers wrote.

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The toilets keep the rectum and the pelvic floor not taken care of in relation to sitting on a chair, causing more pressure on the rectal veins, according to the researchers.

Ramprasad noted that the posture can also play a role and that the toilet stools, which support the feet and put the body in a more natural squatting position to help eliminate constraints, can help, but do not solve the underlying problem.

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“Tools like a small squatty pot can reduce tension, but they will not compensate for the risk of simply sitting for too long,” he said. “If you are on your phone for 10 minutes, you always expose these veins to pressure.”

The man tightening his buttocks while heading for the toilet, indicating hemorrhoids.

Adults who bring their phones to the bathroom are faced with a risk of hemorrhoids almost 50% higher, according to a new study. (istock)

Hemorrhoids are among the most frequent gastrointestinal complaints in the United States, sending nearly 4 million people to clinics and emergencies each year, according to BIDMC.

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Researchers have called for long -term studies to confirm causation and explore prevention strategies. And while the youngest participants were more likely to use their phone and had a higher hemorrhoid prevalence, they cannot yet say if it is because of the use of the phone specifically or other age -related behaviors.

In the meantime, Ramprasad advises to make things happen.

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“Do what you need to do, then get up and continue,” he said. “Do not transform the bathroom into a scrolling break.”

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