Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2025 Jul 29;14(15):5361.
doi: 10.3390/jcm14155361.

Barriers to Seeking Medical Care for Hemorrhoidal Symptoms: A Cross-Sectional Observational Study

Adrian Cote  1 , Roxana Loriana Negrut  1 , Bogdan Feder  1 , Ioan Andrei Antal  1 , Maur Sebastian Horgos  1 , Emilia Tomescu  2 , Adrian Marius Maghiar  1
Affiliations

Barriers to Seeking Medical Care for Hemorrhoidal Symptoms: A Cross-Sectional Observational Study

Adrian Cote et al. J Clin Med. .

Abstract

Background: Despite their high prevalence and potential for significant morbidity, hemorrhoidal symptoms remain underreported and undertreated. Misconceptions and stigma may delay care-seeking behaviors and negatively influence patient outcomes. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional, questionnaire-based study in Romania to assess public awareness, attitudes, and barriers related to hemorrhoidal disease. The survey included 185 participants and evaluated variables such as symptom severity, understanding of the condition, perceived stigma, and willingness to consult a physician. Results: Only 30.8% of participants had sought medical advice for hemorrhoidal symptoms. Younger age (p < 0.001), male sex (p = 0.013), and lower levels of perceived severity were significantly associated with reluctance to seek medical care. The most frequently reported barriers were embarrassment and fear of invasive diagnostic procedures. Colonoscopy and digital rectal examination were identified as major deterrents by 39.5% and 38.9% of respondents, respectively. Educational level influenced both the perceived understanding of the disease (p = 0.001) and comfort in discussing anal symptoms (p = 0.002). Gender preference for physicians was significantly associated with respondent sex (p = 0.007) but not with education or age. Conclusions: Hemorrhoidal disease remains a stigmatized and underestimated condition. Public health efforts should prioritize educational interventions, destigmatization campaigns, and improved physician-patient communication to facilitate earlier diagnosis and better disease management.

Keywords: health-seeking behavior; hemorrhoids; public awareness; stigma; symptom perception.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflicts of interest. The funders had no role in the design of the study; in the collection, analysis, or interpretation of the data; in the writing of the manuscript; or in the decision to publish the results.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Distribution of Symptom Frequency in the Study Population.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Medical Consultation Rates Among Individuals Reporting Symptoms.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Distribution of self-reported symptom burden.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Self-assessed understanding of hemorrhoids among respondents.
Figure 5
Figure 5
Perceived seriousness of a hemorrhoid diagnosis among respondents.
Figure 6
Figure 6
Perception of the prevalence of hemorrhoids in the general population.
Figure 7
Figure 7
Age distribution by medical consultation status.
Figure 8
Figure 8
Self-reported reasons for not seeking medical consultation for hemorrhoidal symptoms among survey respondents (multiple answers allowed).
Figure 9
Figure 9
Reported barriers to seeking medical consultation for hemorrhoidal symptoms.
Figure 10
Figure 10
Participant preferences regarding the sex of the physician for consultation about anal symptoms.
Figure 11
Figure 11
Distribution of perceived importance regarding physician sex when addressing anal problems.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Ahmad A., Patel I., Parimalakrishnan S. Patient-reported outcomes and patient-reported outcome measures: A primer for value-based healthcare. Clin. Evid. (Perioper. Res.) 2021;11:9–13.
    1. Tournu G., Abramowitz L., Couffignal C., Juguet F., Sénéjoux A., Berger S., Wiart A.L., Bernard M., Provost F., Pillant-Le Moult H., et al. Prevalence of anal symptoms in general practice: A prospective study. BMC Fam. Pract. 2017;18:78. doi: 10.1186/s12875-017-0649-6. Erratum in: BMC Fam. Pract. 2019, 20, 14. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12875-019-0905-z . - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Abramowitz L., Benabderrahmane M., Pospait D., Philip J., Laouénan C. The prevalence of proctological symptoms amongst patients who see general practitioners in France. Eur. J. Gen. Pract. 2014;20:301–306. doi: 10.3109/13814788.2014.899578. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Lohsiriwat V. Hemorrhoids: From basic pathophysiology to clinical management. World J. Gastroenterol. 2012;18:2009–2017. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v18.i17.2009. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Sheikh P., Régnier C., Goron F., Salmat G. The prevalence, characteristics and treatment of hemorrhoidal disease: Results of an international web-based survey. J. Comp. Eff. Res. 2020;9:1219–1232. doi: 10.2217/cer-2020-0159. - DOI - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources