Pattern of inguinal hernia in Al- Basra teaching hospital: a prospective clinical study

Abstract

Introduction:Inguinal hernia is the most commonly hernia in both men and women but occurs more common in men. Although there are two basic types of inguinal hernia with differences in anatomy, the etiology, complications, and surgical repair technique of both are very similar. The aim of this study was to evaluate the demographic and clinical characteristics of patients with inguinal hernia who underwent either elective or emergency surgical hernia repair at Al-Basra Teaching Hospital.
Methods: This was a prospective clinical study involving patients with inguinal hernia admitted to Al-Basra Teaching Hospital from February 2017to November 2019. Patient’s demographic data, smoking habit, body mass index, history of chronic diseases, family history of inguinal hernia, and post-operative complications were evaluated. The patients were divided into seven groups according to age. All data were recorded and analyzed.
Results: A total of 250 patients age 16 to 82 years were included (men, 88.4%, women, 11.6%) in this study. Most of the patients were above the age of 40, nearly half of the patients were smokers and had a positive family history of inguinal hernia. Most patients had normal body weight, and 12% of patients developed postoperative complications.
Conclusion: We concluded that a large proportion of patients with inguinal hernia were men and they underwent elective hernia repair. All of patients with recurrent hernia were found to be smokers. Patient who underwent elective hernia repair had minimal postoperative complications with short hospitalization.