Hernia - 5 Common Types and Symptoms

Hernias are more common than you think. Hernias are extremely common, and practically anyone - men, women, and children - can get them. In the USA alone, 1 million hernia corrections are done each year, and those are only the cases that require surgical repair. Around 10% of all Americans will develop a hernia during their lifetime.

Some hernias can remain benign for years, but others are a medical emergency. Read this guide to learn about this often overlooked medical condition and the 5 most common types of hernia. 

 

General Information About Hernias 

A hernia develops when an organ bulges through the muscle or any other tissue that usually holds it in place. For instance, a piece of the intestines may push through a weak point in the abdominal wall. Spotting a hernia is often not difficult, as it looks like a lump under the skin. A hernia is usually more visible when you’re standing, coughing, or bending, and it may even vanish completely when you’re lying down.

Some hernias trigger no symptoms whereas others can be quite painful. It all depends on the location, type, and severity of the hernia. 

 

If a hernia is painful and doesn’t flatten out when you’re lying down, urgent medical attention is required to free up the intestine and prevent complications. This is called a non-reducible hernia, and it may become a strangulated hernia and cause gangrene. It happens when the herniated tissue becomes trapped and starts dying off. Urgent surgery is required to undo a strangulated hernia. 

 

You can either be born with a hernia or develop it over time. Acquired hernias develop whenever a person has weak muscles and they are straining too much. Such factors as childbirth, chronic coughing, constipation, weight gain, aging, smoking, or lifting heavy weights all increase your risk of hernia. Men are generally more likely to develop hernias than women, but this also depends on the type of hernia. 

 

Depending on their location in the body, hernias are divided into many different types. Below, we review 5 of the most common types of hernia.

The Most Common Types of Hernia  

 

1. Inguinal hernia

Inguinal hernias occur in the groin area, typically on the right side, and they are one of the most common hernias - states the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. Around 27% of men and 3% of women have an inguinal hernia over the course of their life. Most cases occur in children aged 5 or younger and senior adults aged 75 and older. An inguinal hernia can either contain small intestines or female reproductive organ tissue. In most cases, inguinal hernias need to be fixed through minimally invasive surgery, for they have a high risk of complications. 

 

Femoral hernias are often confused for inguinal hernias, as they too occur in the groin area. However, this type of hernia is more common in women because their pelvis is naturally wider. A femoral hernia may constrict the femoral artery and vein, so it usually requires surgical treatment. 

 

2. Incisional hernia 

An incisional hernia develops after abdominal surgery. Incisional hernias can show up months or even years after surgery. The size of the hernia can be rather small or very large. It is estimated that 15-20 percent of patients develop these hernias following abdominal surgery. 

 

Your risk of developing an incisional hernia following surgery go up in the following cases: 

 

It was an emergency surgery. 

 

You had a complication or infection during or after surgery. 

 

You suffer from diabetes, obesity, or kidney failure. 

 

You take immunosuppressants or steroids. 

 

You smoke. 

 

If the incisional hernia is very small, it may not require surgical removal, but larger or more complex incision hernias require surgery.  

 

3. Hiatal hernia  

A hiatal hernia is slightly different from other hernias because it is not visible. Hiatal hernias develop internally when the upper part of the stomach sticks out of the diaphragm - the muscle that divides the chest and the abdominal cavity. Due to the unique location of this hernia, it can mimic symptoms of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD): acid reflux, heartburn, and pain in the chest.

 

Hiatal hernias are most common in adults over age 50, pregnant women, and overweight persons. Surgery for this type of hernia is more complicated and is usually only recommended in more severe cases, or when you’re experiencing many uncomfortable symptoms.

4. Epigastric hernia

The epigastric region of the abdomen - the area below the rib cage and above the belly button - is where epigastric hernias can occur. Epigastric hernias are formed when there’s a gap between the abdominal muscles that lets fat tissue or intestines escape from inside the abdomen. Epigastric hernias are more common in men, and they account for 2%-3% of all hernias. Babies can also be born with epigastric hernias. 

 

An epigastric hernia may not be visible right away, but you can feel it when you cough or strain your abdominal muscles. You may also feel pain or tenderness in the area. Smaller epigastric hernias rarely require surgery, but large ones or those that contain intestinal tissue are cause for surgery.

5. Umbilical hernia

Umbilical hernias occur when the intestines protrude in the area of the belly button. It looks like a bulge near or in the belly button, and it usually is more apparent when you’re straining the belly muscles or coughing. Umbilical hernias account for around 10% of all adult hernias according to the American College of Surgeons. Abdominal pressure caused by pregnancy, excessive weight, or chronic coughing makes you more likely to develop an umbilical hernia. 

 

That said, this type of hernia is even more widespread in infants - around 20% of babies under 6 months old develop these hernias. Fortunately, umbilical hernias in babies tend to clear up on their own in 3-5 years. In adults, umbilical hernias do not go away on their own and tend to get worse over time. If the umbilical hernia doesn’t cause pain or discomfort, it does not normally require surgery. 

 

Is Hernia a Medical Emergency?

In many cases, a small hernia may not be an indication for immediate surgery. Keep in mind, however, that most adult hernias won’t go away on their own accord. Only a doctor can diagnose the hernia and assess if it requires surgical removal. Sometimes, a hernia is a medical emergency. If you have any of these symptoms, you may have a strangulated hernia and need to go to the hospital immediately: 

 

Fever. 

 

The hernia is hard to the touch. 

 

It looks red or inflamed. It grew or you can no longer push it back in. 

 

You experience sharp pain in the affected area of the abdomen, nausea, or vomiting.

This is only for your information, kindly take the advice of your doctor for medicines, exercises and so on.   

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Here’s Why Some Women Are Forgoing Treatment For This Type of Breast Cancer

When Laura Colletti was told that she had ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS), or early-stage breast cancer, she dreaded what the diagnosis would mean for her life. Laura’s daughter had some straightforward advice: “Mom, if it was me I’d take it out. You just get rid of it.”

But Laura wasn’t ready for a mastectomy. She and her husband researched DCIS, which is known as stage 0 cancer, and found that at her stage, her lump was made of pre-cancerous cells fully contained inside the ducts of the breast. The cells might never break out of the duct and become an invasive cancer. Laura says she found that, “really we don’t have to have surgery. That it’s not life-threatening, and I’ll probably die from something else.”

Some doctors agree. Surgeon Shelley Hwang, Chief of Breast Surgery at Duke Medical Center, says it makes her sad when patients feel they have to undergo a major mastectomy surgery in order to rid themselves of the anxiety of breast cancer. Dr. Hwang explains that in ductal carcinoma in situ, the in situ phrase means that the abnormal cells are contained, and if they stay contained, they pose much less risk than having a preventative surgery.

Doctors are now finding breast cancer tumors at higher rates because of how detection technology has improved in recent years. But while early detection has improved, breast cancer death rates have stayed about the same from 2002 to 2015. Shouldn’t more detection, especially early detection, mean more lives saved?
Cases of DCIS account for 20- 25 % of breast cancers detected by screening, whereas DCIS made up about 3 percent of detected cancers before screening became more popular in the 1980s. The reaction of many doctors and patients, understandably, is to want to remove any tumors regardless of stage. Even if a woman does have very early stage breast cancer, it may seem far better to undergo surgery than to worry over whether or not the cancer will become invasive.

But not all tumors are the same, and some are so slow-growing that they might not ever cause death, or even symptoms. They key is to know which ones are which. Cancer is the blanket term applied to low-risk DCIS and to stage IV metastatic cancer, but they don’t pose near the same amount of risk, though the terminology can cause an equal amount of fear in both cases.

But even stage 0 DCIS poses some risk of becoming invasive; isn’t it better to operate and be done with it? According to Dr. Hwang, not always: “There have been a couple of very important studies that have been published lately which have shown that for the really low risk DCIS, whether you ever operate on them, whether you do a lumpectomy or whether you do a mastectomy, the patients are equally likely to not die of breast cancer.”

This is a serious consideration, especially because treatment comes with its own set of risks. The side effects of chemotherapy and radiation are both short-and long-term, and even a double mastectomy is not a magic bullet. Aside from the emotional side effects, a mastectomy may involve  revisions, prolonged pain, loss of sensation, or hernias. 

Some doctors are beginning to think there are times when treatment risks outweigh the benefits, and they’re putting a new option on the table: active surveillance. Active surveillance involves screenings every six months and may include estrogen-blocking drugs. This is the route that Laura Colletti chose. Her daughter was, understandably, against the decision at first. But after talking to her mom about the research the the pros and cons of more aggressive treatment, she become supportive.

Laura was relieved that she wouldn’t have to, at least at this stage, undergo surgery. “I feel great about my decision. If options were given to women, more women would choose active surveillance. But because there’s no options out there, people don’t know to even ask.”

Dr. Hwang is not suggesting that people stop getting mammograms; she’s simply questioning the rapid-fire reaction to all types of cancer. If active surveillance can help women avoid surgery without sacrificing peace of mind, it may be a good option for those with very low-risk DCIS—at least it should be one of the options presented. 

This is only for your information, kindly take the advice of your doctor for medicines, exercises and so on.     

https://gscrochetdesigns.blogspot.com. one can see my crochet creations  
https://gseasyrecipes.blogspot.com. feel free to view for easy, simple and healthy recipes    
https://kneereplacement-stickclub.blogspot.com. for info on knee replacement