What are the symptoms of umbilical hernia in infants and young children?

Among the most common diseases in infants and young children is umbilical hernia. Children with umbilical hernia will have many complications, which will also lead to increased pressure in the abdominal cavity and be accompanied by a variety of small intestine and large intestine diseases. Therefore, children with umbilical hernia should be treated and prevented in the early stage.

Clinically, it is divided into two types: infant umbilical hernia and adult umbilical hernia.

The former is much more common than the latter, and umbilical hernia in adults is relatively rare. Umbilical hernia in infants and young children is a congenital disease in which the contents of the abdominal cavity protrude outward through the umbilical ring. The incidence rate is second only to congenital inguinal hernia, with an incidence rate of about 2.6%. It is more common in girls than in boys. The incidence rate is relatively high in premature infants and low-birth-weight infants. It has a familial tendency and is related to race. Long-term constipation and crying in infants and young children can also contribute to the occurrence of umbilical hernia.

Except for a very small number of cases that are the continuation or recurrence of infant umbilical hernia, umbilical hernia in adults is generally an acquired disease, with a prevalence rate of 6% of all abdominal wall hernias in adults. In addition to incomplete closure of the umbilical ring or weak umbilical connective tissue, its main cause is increased intra-abdominal pressure, such as multiple pregnancies, chronic cough, ascites, etc.

The hernia contents are mostly the greater omentum, followed by the small intestine, colon, etc. Umbilical hernia in adults cannot heal on its own and there is a risk of incarceration, so it should be treated actively.

What are the symptoms of umbilical hernia in infants and young children?

1. Generally, the following clinical manifestations and signs can be diagnosed as umbilical hernia in infants and young children.

2. After the baby is born, there is a semicircular swelling on the navel, which is mostly the size of a thumb and soft in texture. The umbilical mark can be seen in the lower half of the swelling.

3. The swelling increases in size when the child cries or exerts force, and shrinks or disappears when the child rests quietly or is squeezed with the hands.