Consequences of inguinal hernia
Last reviewed: 23.04.2024
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Inguinal hernia is considered a fairly common disease and treatable, but like any disease, it can have some complications. The consequences of inguinal hernia occur with improper treatment, with no treatment at all, and also for individual reasons.
The very presence of inguinal hernia already poses a rather serious danger. Through the violation of the integrity of the inguinal region, the elements of the internal organs (part of the omentum, gut, testicle or ovary) may end up in the hernial sac. This condition can provoke various diseases, discomfort, inconveniences and complications (for example, infringement).
Than inguinal hernia is dangerous:
- hernial trauma;
- inflammatory process in the hernial cavity;
- malignancy of protrusion;
- development of intestinal obstruction;
- coprostasis;
- infringement of a hernia cavity;
- violation of reproductive function.
The consequences can overtake the patient at any time: surgical intervention is often an emergency. For this reason, doctors advise not to postpone the treatment of a hernia, but to eliminate the problem in time, so as not to risk their health and life in the future.
Consequences of inguinal hernia in men
If the hernia is not treated, serious complications can arise, which it becomes much harder to fight with than with the underlying disease. Therefore, the sooner the treatment is started, the better. We will become acquainted with the most common consequences of inguinal hernia.
- Infringement.
The most frequent and dangerous complication of a hernia is infringement. Basically, this condition is characterized by suddenness and unpredictability: signs of infringement arise immediately, without gradual increase. When pinching, urgent surgical intervention is required, because with every minute the danger to the patient's further health and life increases. Elements of organs that fall into the cavity of the hernial sac gradually die off, the circulation in them disappears, the tissues succumb to dystrophy and necrosis. In damaged organs, their natural function is disturbed.
- Inflammatory herniation process.
Inflammatory reaction in the hernia can develop for several reasons:
- In the hernial cavity external infection gets (due to external damage of protrusion - injuries, scratches, etc.);
- Inside the cavity is an internal infection (for example, with a feces mass).
In the presence of an inflammatory process, the hernia becomes reddened, hot to the touch, painful.
- Herniated injury.
Injury to a hernia can be obtained by trying to reposition it independently, as well as when external factors are affected (as a result of an unsuccessful fall or stroke in the groin area, with improper wearing of the bandage, etc.). This condition is dangerous for damage to internal organs, a violation of the integrity of tissues. The main signs of injury are pain and the phenomenon of bruising in the area of the hernial sac.
- Intestinal obstruction.
If a part of the intestine enters the hernial cavity, it can provoke the development of intestinal obstruction. The patient has abdominal pain, flatulence, and lack of defecation. If the patient does not help in a timely manner, then disintegration and fermentation of stool begins, a headache, vomiting. This condition often goes to coprostasis.
- Coprostasis.
What is coprostasis is the stagnation of fecal matter, when the lumen of the intestine is clogged with feces, causing symptoms of intestinal obstruction. This complication is characterized by loss of appetite, increased gas production, nausea and vomiting, fever, head and abdominal pain.
- Development of malignant process.
Fertility of the hernia is a relatively rare phenomenon, which is sometimes observed in the practice of doctors. Cell degeneration is formed mainly in organs that have fallen into the hernial cavity, or in nearby tissues.
Do not expect complications. If the first signs of a hernia occur, it is recommended to consult a doctor and fix the defect in advance.
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Consequences of inguinal hernia in women
The appearance of inguinal hernia in women can have practically the same complications as in men (infringement, intestinal obstruction, coprostasis), but it has its own peculiarities.
There are situations when the ingress of parts of organs into the hernial cavity does not cause discomfort. The patient can periodically straighten the sack itself, because the hernia does not cause pain, does not increase and does not swell. However, over time, problems can still arise if the treatment is delayed.
First, most complications appear with an increase in the body weight of a woman, or during pregnancy. Moreover, in the process of gestation, difficulties may arise with the immediate course of pregnancy. Inguinal hernia represents a certain danger during labor activity - the likelihood of infringement is very high.
The hernial sac can grow at the same time as the pregnant belly increases. And the risk consists not only in that there will be unpleasant sensations and discomfort at movements, the constipations will be aggravated, problems with an emiction will begin. The development of the hernia and the size of the hernia directly affects the course of the course of labor. Whether it will be a natural birth, or a cesarean section, the doctor will decide.
The fact is that with natural delivery, during labor there is an excessive load on the abdominal wall, and a hernia at any time can be hurt. If this happens, immediate surgery is inevitable.
Effects of an operation for inguinal hernia
Through surgical intervention, virtually all problems associated with inguinal hernia are solved. However, the operation itself, in spite of its relative simplicity, can have some negative consequences. Why they can arise? The reasons are different - from the individual characteristics of the organism to surgical errors during the operation.
It happens that the patient even before the treatment of the hernia had damage to some nerve fibers (for example, after the previous operation). With repeated intervention, this can lead to soreness and muscle weakness.
However, the most common postoperative complications are the following.
- Damage to the spermatic cord with the removal of the hernial sac, as a result of the careless action of the surgeon. To prevent this from happening, the doctor must first separate the cord from the rest of the tissues. What threatens this complication? A violation of the level of hormones and spermatogenesis, which can lead to infertility and atrophic processes in the testicle.
- Damage of the intestinal tract with the removal of the hernial sac, as a consequence of inattention to the operating surgeon. Also, with plastic tissues or high bandaging of the bag, the doctor can disrupt the integrity of the bladder.
- Damage to the hip in the joint when overlapping coarse sutures. To prevent this from happening, it is recommended to probe all the tissues closest to the seam.
- Bleeding if the vessel is damaged during stitching. This situation is corrected by clamping the broken vessel.
- The formation of thrombi in deep venous vessels of the lower leg, often occurs in elderly patients. To avoid such a complication, after surgery the doctor prescribes anticoagulants - this prevents the risk of thrombosis.
- Hydrocele - edema of the testicle - one- or two-sided. This complication may require a second operation.
- Recurrent hernia. It may occur if the patient violates the rules of postoperative rehabilitation and the doctor's instructions are not fulfilled.
- An infectious complication is the appearance of an infection at the site of surgery. Requires additional antibiotic therapy.
The listed consequences can appear either through the fault of the operating doctor, or through the fault of the patient himself, and also because of the individual characteristics of the organism.
The patient should follow all the doctor's recommendations and adhere to all the rules of rehabilitation treatment. During 2-3 days after the surgical intervention, it is recommended to observe strict bed rest, not to strain, not to engage in manual labor. Even simple attempts to get out of bed can provoke an increase in pressure inside the abdomen, which in turn can lead to undesirable consequences.
In addition, it is important to follow a certain diet, excluding the use of foods that provoke flatulence - it's raw vegetables and fruits, beans, sweets.
If you comply with all of the above rules and carefully follow the appointment and advice of a doctor, the consequences of inguinal hernia will not affect you.
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