Inguinal hernia in children and infants: What do parents need to know?

Inguinal hernia in children is a congenital condition that causes discomfort and complications if left untreated.

In this article, aFamilyToday Health invites you to learn about inguinal hernia in children, how to recognize an inguinal hernia and related problems such as complications and treatments.

What is an inguinal hernia in children?

An inguinal hernia is a congenital condition that refers to an abnormal bulging or protruding sac in the groin area (the area between the abdomen and thighs) that you can see and feel. An inguinal hernia develops when part of the intestine, along with fluid, bulges through the muscles of the abdominal wall.

Inguinal hernia in children comes from a weakened baby's abdominal wall. A bulge in the groin can only be noticed when a baby is crying, coughing, or straining while having a bowel movement. About 90% of children with inguinal hernia are boys.

Signs of inguinal hernia in children

If your child has an inguinal hernia, parents may see a swollen, lumpy, or swollen groin area in the scrotum, accompanied by the following symptoms:

The bump may go away or decrease in size as the baby relaxes and lies upright

The swelling is usually painless or only mild

If the baby cries, the swelling is increasingly apparent

The bump is quite soft to the touch

Inguinal hernia is fairly common on the right side, but occurs on the left or both sides of the groin as well as scrotum.

Complications of inguinal hernia in children

Without timely diagnosis and treatment, inguinal hernia in children can cause dangerous complications for your baby, such as:

Intestinal obstruction leads to necrosis: When the intestines are trapped in the herniated sac, the child is extremely painful. More worryingly, the trapped intestine can become necrotic, leading to partial removal.

Gastrointestinal disturbance , the baby does not eat or drink well as well as going to the toilet is unfavorable.

Contributes to torsion of the testicles, testicular atrophy , congestion of testicular vessels causing testicular necrosis.

Distinguishing hydroceles from inguinal hernias

Epidural effusion is very easy to be confused with inguinal hernia in children. According to experts, hydroceles have features quite similar to those of a hernia, but the diverticulosis that appears in the groin does not contain any intestines or other internal organs.

The swelling caused by a hydrocele can cause pain in the affected area. However, if your baby doesn't feel too uncomfortable, surgery isn't needed right away.

When should children with inguinal hernia be examined?

If you think your baby has a hernia of any kind, you need to take your baby to the hospital to be seen by the doctor in time. Checking may include finding out where the baby is having a hernia and trying to alleviate the condition.

If the inguinal hernia in a child is not visible at the time of the visit, the doctor may try to gently press on your child's abdomen to check the condition. For young children with strange signs of herniation, they should be treated with surgical methods as soon as possible.

Measures to prevent children with inguinal hernia

Since this is a congenital condition, inguinal hernia can only be prevented while the baby is still in the fetal stage. According to experts, pregnant mothers need to have a healthy lifestyle during pregnancy, minimize exposure to tobacco smoke or other harmful factors, supplement with folic acid as well as periodic pregnancy check-ups to minimize the risk of premature birth , one of the causes of inguinal hernia in children.

Treatment of inguinal hernia in children

Surgery is essential in mild to complex inguinal hernia to prevent recurrence. If a child's inguinal hernia is detected and fixed early, no long-term complications will appear.

Hernia surgery is performed in the form of anesthesia . If your child has a unilateral inguinal hernia and he is younger than 1 year old, the surgeon may recommend surgery on the unaffected side to prevent future development of the hernia.

How to take care of your baby after surgery

Usually, your baby will feel completely fine 1-2 weeks after surgery and can return to all activities as usual. In addition, follow your doctor's instructions about taking care of young children in the postoperative period as well as what not to do to avoid infection of the wound .

In addition, if you find that your baby has the following symptoms, parents should take their children to the hospital immediately:

Vomit

Fever above 38 ° C

The incision is bleeding, there are signs of infection, redness around the incision

Peeing less than usual or in a wet diaper less than usual ...

Hopefully, with the information shared in the article, you already know how to distinguish inguinal hernias from epidural effusion, and how to take care of children after herniation surgery.