Cough and Hemorrhoids

The aim of the study is to investigate the relationship between hemorrhoids and cough by assessing the symptoms, duration, and severity of cough in patients who will present to the general surgery outpatient clinic of Muğla Education and Research Hospital (MERH) with symptoms such as bleeding, pain, itching, fecal leakage, prolapse, and mucus discharge. These patients will be diagnosed with hemorrhoidal disease through rectal examination to detect anal pathology and will be graded according to mucosal prolapse. Our study will aim to determine whether cough is a predisposing factor for hemorrhoids by evaluating the presence, duration, and frequency of cough symptoms in patients with hemorrhoids. The study will be designed as a cross-sectional, analytical, and descriptive study. Between March 2025 and June 2025, patients with newly diagnosed hemorrhoids who will present to the MEAH General Surgery Outpatient Clinic will undergo physical examinations and will be assessed for cough symptoms. Evaluations will include height and weight measurements, the Leicester Cough Questionnaire, the Cough Visual Analog Scale (VAS) questionnaire, duration of cough (categorized as acute if shorter than 4 weeks, or chronic if longer than 4 weeks), timing of cough (day, night, or all day), comorbidities (such as COPD, asthma, chronic bronchitis, interstitial lung disease, idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, and others), and smoking history (active, former, or never smoked). The primary endpoint will be to compare the relationship between the severity of hemorrhoids and the duration and frequency of cough in patients with both conditions. The secondary endpoint will be to compare the grade of hemorrhoids with comorbid chest diseases in these patients. The tertiary endpoint will be to compare the degree of hemorrhoids with the smoking history of patients who have both hemorrhoids and cough.