The Facts on Hernia

People tend not to mention them, but hernias are extremely common.

Childhood Hernias

“About 6 percent of children are born with inguinal hernias. They’re especially common in boys, and usually easily corrected,” says pediatric surgeon Chris Chang, M.D., of Lehigh Valley Hospital and Health Network. Some hernias are noticeable at birth, others take months or years to develop. But they’re all due to incomplete closure of the abdominal wall, and all require surgical repair.

Unless there are complications, newborns don’t receive the surgery until 3 months old. If your toddler or child develops an inguinal hernia, call the doctor right away, especially if the hernia is hard and bulging or your child is in pain or vomiting.

Some children are born with a different type of hernia, caused by the tissue around the umbilical cord failing to close. If an umbilical hernia hasn’t closed naturally by age 4 or 5, surgery is needed.

They occur when one part of the body bulges through an opening into another part. The most common types are:

Inguinal (abdominal)—“People often don’t realize they have an inguinal hernia until it’s detected in a routine exam,” says Richard Baylor, M.D., family medicine physician at Lehigh Valley Hospital and Health Network. Inguinal hernias are more common in men. Weight gain, heavy lifting, constipation, chronic smoker’s cough, aging and (rarely) pregnancy raise your risk.

The condition isn’t cause for panic, but you will need immediate surgery if complications develop. The bulging intestine can get trapped in the abdominal wall and cause a bowel obstruction, or blood supply may be cut off, causing tissue to die.

“Most hernias get larger over time, so it’s wise to repair them while small,” says Baylor’s colleague, surgeon Scott Beman, M.D. The options are laparoscopy (through small incisions) or conventional surgery, depending on the hernia’s size and the patient’s health. “The surgeon gently pushes the intestine back in place and repairs the weak area of the abdominal wall with synthetic mesh,” Beman says.

Hiatal (esophagus-stomach junction)—Most small hiatal hernias have no symptoms, but a large hernia can cause heartburn and chest pain as it allows acid back into the esophagus. (Hiatal hernia and acid reflux disease aren’t the same, but can overlap.) Ease the symptoms by losing weight, eliminating alcohol and spicy foods, quitting smoking and eating smaller meals. Over-the-counter antacids or prescription drugs also may help. “People with severe continuing reflux symptoms, trouble breathing or obstruction of the esophagus need surgery,” Beman says. The laparoscopic procedure restores the normal position of the stomach, and in some cases tightens muscle between stomach and esophagus.

Want to Know More about how to prevent hernia through proper lifting? Click here.

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