Trends in Clinical and Medical Sciences
Special issue: Indian Medical Research Views and Findings on Last 5 years (2023), pp. 391 – 396
ISSN: 2791-0814 (online) 2791-0806 (Print)
DOI: 10.30538/psrp-tmcs2023.si-imrv060
ISSN: 2791-0814 (online) 2791-0806 (Print)
DOI: 10.30538/psrp-tmcs2023.si-imrv060
Demographics, clinical profile, and risk factors of inguinal hernia in elderly males: A hospital based study
Dr. Krupasindhu Pradhan\(^{1}\), Dr. Bimal Prasad Sahu\(^{2}\), Dr. Purna chandra Pradhan\(^{3}\) and Dr. Lachhaman Bag\(^{4,*}\)
\(^{1}\) Assistant Professor, Department of Skin and Venereal Disease, Bhima Bhoi Medical College and Hospital, Balangir, Odisha.
\(^{2}\) Assistant Professor, Department of Anesthesiology, SLN Medical College and Hospital, Koraput, Odisha.
\(^{3}\) Assistant Professor, Department of Community Medicine, SLN Medical College and Hospital, Koraput, Odisha.
\(^{4}\) Assistant Professor, Department of General Surgery, PRM Medical College and Hospital, Baripada, Odisha.
Correspondence should be addressed to Dr. Lachhaman Bag at lachhamanbag@gmail.com
Copyright © 2023 Dr. Krupasindhu Pradhan, Dr. Bimal Prasad Sahu, Dr. Purna chandra Pradhan and Dr. Lachhaman Bag. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Received: January 6, 2023 – Accepted: May 10, 2023 – Published: May 25, 2023
Abstract
Background: In India, the most common elective surgery is inguinal hernia repair, which consumes a significant amount of healthcare resources. This observational study investigates the demographics, clinical profile, and risk factors of inguinal hernia at a tertiary-level institute in northern India.
Methods: This observational study was conducted at a tertiary care center in northern India, involving 98 patients attending the surgical outpatient department for inguinal hernia repair. After obtaining informed consent from all participants, demographic information, medical history, and clinical examinations were recorded. This study followed a single-center, prospective, non-randomized observational design.
Results and Discussion: In our study, 39 patients (39.8%) were over the age of 50. Ninety-four patients (96%) were male, while four (4%) were female, resulting in a male-to-female ratio of 24:1. The higher prevalence of males can be attributed to their participation in more strenuous exercises, weightlifting, and anatomical differences. Among the identified risk factors, lifting heavy weights accounted for 52% of cases, followed by respiratory disease (37.7%) and altered bowel habits (34.6%). Smoking and diabetes were also found to be associated with an increased risk of hernias. In terms of hernia location, the right side was most common (62.2%), followed by the left side (32.6%), with 5.1% of patients having bilateral hernias. The most common type of hernia observed was the indirect hernia.
Conclusion: Inguinal hernia is a common surgical problem, predominantly seen in elderly males. Right-sided inguinal hernias are more prevalent, with the indirect type being the most common. Heavy and strenuous activities were frequently identified as significant risk factors.
Methods: This observational study was conducted at a tertiary care center in northern India, involving 98 patients attending the surgical outpatient department for inguinal hernia repair. After obtaining informed consent from all participants, demographic information, medical history, and clinical examinations were recorded. This study followed a single-center, prospective, non-randomized observational design.
Results and Discussion: In our study, 39 patients (39.8%) were over the age of 50. Ninety-four patients (96%) were male, while four (4%) were female, resulting in a male-to-female ratio of 24:1. The higher prevalence of males can be attributed to their participation in more strenuous exercises, weightlifting, and anatomical differences. Among the identified risk factors, lifting heavy weights accounted for 52% of cases, followed by respiratory disease (37.7%) and altered bowel habits (34.6%). Smoking and diabetes were also found to be associated with an increased risk of hernias. In terms of hernia location, the right side was most common (62.2%), followed by the left side (32.6%), with 5.1% of patients having bilateral hernias. The most common type of hernia observed was the indirect hernia.
Conclusion: Inguinal hernia is a common surgical problem, predominantly seen in elderly males. Right-sided inguinal hernias are more prevalent, with the indirect type being the most common. Heavy and strenuous activities were frequently identified as significant risk factors.
Keywords:
Elderly; Pain; Bowel movement; Etiology; Inguinal hernia.