Symptoms of inguinal hernia in children

In our lives, many children are very weak and can easily get some hernia diseases. The most common part of hernia is the groin. When the disease occurs, children will feel gastrointestinal discomfort, sometimes nausea and vomiting, and even cause children to have a high fever. So what are the clinical manifestations of inguinal hernia in children?

Inguinal hernia, also commonly known as herniated inguinal hernia, is a very common surgical disease. Hernia can occur in many parts of the human body, which means that certain organs move from their normal position to an abnormal position, causing a bulge in appearance. Common sites of occurrence include inguinal hernia, abdominal wall hernia, umbilical hernia, or diaphragmatic hernia in newborns due to congenital defects of the diaphragm. In this case, the stomach or intestines usually move into the chest cavity.

Inguinal and abdominal wall hernias usually have a visible swelling, especially after standing for a long time, exercising, or exerting force on the abdomen. Most patients discover their hernias in this way, and with some bloating and pain, they seek medical attention. However, there are a few cases where patients seek medical attention due to abdominal pain, fever, nausea, vomiting and other serious infection symptoms, only to find that the small intestine was stuck in the hernia sac and caused necrosis. This condition is called "incarcerated inguinal hernia" and requires surgical treatment as soon as possible, otherwise it may be life-threatening.

Children's hernia congenital structural problems

Why does hernia occur? When a person is born, the organ tissue structure in various parts of the body is very stable, and there are muscles and fascia to fix these organs. But sometimes, due to congenital structural problems, some openings should close but do not, which may cause organs to fall into the hernia sac. The hernia sac is actually part of the peritoneum, so what is the peritoneum? For example, if the abdominal cavity is a coconut shell, after the coconut shell is cut open, you will first see a layer of coconut meat. The peritoneum is like this layer of coconut meat, and inside is the coconut water (organs). The peritoneum is a thin membrane that covers the outside of the abdominal organs and extends to the groin. In boys, it extends to the scrotum and covers the outside of the testicles to form a sheath. Before birth, this tube is actually open, and it needs to close slowly during embryonic development. If it does not close, the abdominal organs may fall into it, forming a congenital inguinal hernia in children. The peritoneum of girls extends all the way to the pubic symphysis (the area covered by pubic hair). If the opening here is not closed, hernia is likely to occur.

The symptoms of hernia in children are usually a swelling in the groin or scrotum when the child cries or exerts force, which disappears when the child stops exerting force or lies flat. If discovered in time, the operation is very simple. Just make a small hole less than half a centimeter and tie up the hernia sac. This is why the National Health Service promotes hernia screening for children. If the disease is not discovered until adulthood, surgery will be more complicated. Clinically, some young people aged 17 or 18 can be seen to have hernia. Upon further questioning, it is found that most of them have had hernia since childhood, but it was not discovered in time.

The groin can be imagined as a "cave" composed of multiple layers of abdominal wall muscles and ligaments, through which the male spermatic cord and the female round ligament supporting the uterus pass. Inguinal hernia is easier to treat for girls, as only the round ligament needs to be treated. For boys, since the spermatic cord, vas deferens and blood vessels supplying the testicles are involved, they must be carefully preserved, otherwise it may affect fertility.

In addition to hernias caused by congenital structural problems, some cases are due to aging and local structural problems, such as weakening of connective tissue and collagen fibers, which causes tissue loosening. In addition, the abdomen is under excessive pressure, such as long-term coughing or constipation, or lifting heavy objects, which causes increased abdominal pressure and easily causes hernia.