Patient's question:
The son of a friend is 3 months old. He has been crying a lot recently because of discomfort. There is a hard lump in his right ribs, with a diameter of about 5 centimeters. The doctor at the clinic said he has an inguinal hernia. Also, his testicles are of uneven size—one is larger than the other. The doctor said it doesn't need to be addressed before he turns 2, so I wanted to know more about the factors related to inguinal hernias.Doctor's answer:
Inguinal hernia, also known as a condition where an organ or tissue in the human body moves away from its normal anatomical position and enters another area through congenital or acquired weak points, defects, or openings. Common types of hernias include umbilical hernia, inguinal direct hernia, inguinal indirect hernia, and femoral hernia, etc. There is no specific medication for pediatric hernias, but they may close spontaneously. If there are no frequent episodes of incarceration, nursing care and conservative treatment can be observed. If a child has a hernia and it does not close spontaneously by the age of two, surgical treatment should be considered.