Incidence and Risk Factors of Inguinal Hernia in a Kashmiri Population

Abstract

Background: One of the most prevalent surgical diseases is inguinal hernia. However, research on clinical characteristics that predispose a person to developing an inguinal hernia is limited.

Aims and objective: The present study was to evaluate the incidence and risk factors for the development of inguinal hernia in adult males.

Material and Methods: The study was done for a period of one year among the people attending surgical outpatient and inpatient department at SKIMS Hospital, Srinagar.

Results: There were 260 inguinal hernia patients in the research, 95 percent of them were men, and the majority (23 percent) were between the ages of 41 and 50. At the time of first presentation, 23.8 percent of patients had bilateral inguinal hernia. Heavy item lifting, persistent cough, and other co-morbid illnesses were identified to be prevalent risk factors.

Conclusion: The study found a slightly higher frequency of bilateral inguinal hernia in the productive group, with the most prevalent risk factors being persistent cough and excessive weightlifting.