Haemorrhoids among Patients Visiting the Department of Surgery in a Tertiary Care Military Hospital of Nepal: An Observational Study.

Introduction: Haemorrhoids is a common issue in the anorectal region and involves venous engorgement in the region. It greatly diminishes the overall quality of life of affected individuals by disrupting their physical and mental health. This descriptive cross-sectional study aimed to ascertain the prevalence of haemorrhoids and the associated risk factors among patients visiting a tertiary care center's surgery department.

Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted in the Department of Surgery of a tertiary care center from July 2023 to November 2023 after obtaining ethical approval. Convenience sampling method was used. The total sample size included in the study was 385. The data was analyzed in IBM SPSS Statistics software. Point estimate was calculated at 95% confidence interval.

Results: Among 385 patients included in the study, haemorrhoids was prevalent in 53 (13.76%, 95% CI: 8.76%-18.76%). Internal haemorrhoids was most prevalent with 30 (56.60%) cases. 22 (41.51%) cases presented with Grade 1 haemorrhoids. The most prevalent symptoms were bleeding in 29 (54.72%) cases, perianal pain in 25 (47.17%) cases, itching in 28 (33.96%) cases and burning sensation in 15 (28.30%) cases.

Conclusions: The prevalence of haemorrhoids in our center was found to be higher as compared to similar studies done in Southeast Asian region but similar with studies done in other region.