Who gets inguinal hernias?

Content provided by Healthwise

Who gets inguinal hernias?

Inguinal hernias are the most common hernias that are not caused by an incision in the abdominal wall.

In children

• The risk of developing hernias is higher for infants born prematurely or with low birth weight than it is for other babies.
• Out of 100 full-term infants, 3 to 5 will have hernias.¹
• Inguinal hernias are more common on the right side (about 60%) than on the left side (about 30%). About 10% of children with hernias have them on both sides.¹

In adults

• About 3% to 5% of men older than 45 develop inguinal hernias.²
• About 65% to 70% of groin hernias in men and women result because the opening to the inguinal canal does not close before birth (indirect hernia).²
• About 30% of hernias in men occur from normal aging and wear and tear (direct hernias), and about 1% to 2% are hernias of the upper thigh (femoral). The reverse is true for women—30% have femoral hernias and 1% to 2% have direct hernias.²

References

Citations

1. Aiken JJ (2004). Inguinal hernias. In RE Behrman et al., eds., Nelson Textbook of Pediatrics, 17th ed., pp. 1293–1297. Philadelphia: Saunders.

2. Jeyarajah R, Harford WV (2006). Inguinal and femoral hernias (groin hernias) section of Abdominal hernias and gastric volvulus. In M Feldman et al., eds., Sleisenger and Fordtran's Gastrointestinal and Liver Disease, 8th ed., vol. 1, pp. 483–487. Philadelphia: Saunders/Elsevier.

Credits

Last updated:	May 16, 2007
Author:	Monica Rhodes
Reviewed By:	Kathleen Romito, MD - Family Medicine, Jerome B. Simon, MD, FRCPC, FACP - Gastroenterology
Editors:	Kathleen M. Ariss, MS, Pat Truman, MATC