Excessive Use of iPad on the Toilet led to Thrombotic External Haemorrhoids in Chinese Man [Updated]

Ok, this is not the sort of  the news you would choose to read at your breakfast table. However, it does highlight a serious health risk of excessive usage of your tablets whilst sitting on the toilet.

According to a report from cnBeta, Mr. Yang – a software engineer, was diagnosed with thrombotic external hemorrhoids after fainting in his bathroom. The cause of his ailment was blamed squarely on spending too much time on his iPad whilst squatting on his toilet. It was reported that Mr. Yang has been using his iPad on the toilet to watching/reading the latest news and play games every morning for nearly two months.

According to the report (via Google Translate):

Central Hospital of Wuhan, said Wang Hui, director of gastrointestinal surgery, hemorrhoids was caused by long-squatting toilet entertainment family of common diseases. Toilet playing computer, squat toilet for too long, can cause perianal and anal cushions vascular tissue due to prolonged squeezed, prone to blood deposition, varicose veins, hemorrhoids also formed over time.

According to the report, 10 minutes is the recommended time one should spend squatting over the toilet, despite whatever pleasure you may derive from doing so for longer periods.

Update

Ironically, TUAW published an  article about a fake research suggesting that this might happen in the future.

According to the article at the time:

 According to research from proctologist Dr. Rodrigo Fulano, announced today, using the iPad may cause you to develop hemorrhoids.

“We’ve known for a while that sitting on a Western-style ‘throne’ toilet for excessive lengths of time can lead to hemorrhoids,” Dr. Fulano says. “But iPad usage accelerates the process. People will sit there as if in a trance, sometimes for as long as half an hour, playing Angry Birds or reading news articles rather than [performing actions appropriate to the setting]. All the while they’re putting incredible strain on veins and arteries that, once inflamed, develop into hemorrhoids.”

This is clearly not a joke for this poor fellow.