Comparison of Incidence of Inguinal Hernia among Obese and Normal Individuals: A Retrospective Analysis

Abstract

Objective: The objective of the present study was to verify whether obesity is associated with the occurrence of inguinal hernia. This is a cross-sectional study carried out in a tertiary hospital, including 84 patients, with clinical diagnosis of inguinal hernia, who underwent hernia mesh repair during a 6-month period (January 2021 to June 2021). Demographic, anthropometric and diagnostic data for inguinal hernia were taken from the patients' medical records. The Chi-square test was used to calculate the significance of association. Results: A total of 84 patients were included in this study. The age of patients varied between 39 - 75 years, averaging 54.8 years. The study showed an association between BMI and two factors, namely: Age (P = .023) and size of the defect (P = .005). However, hernia type (P = .797) and its content (P = 0.061) did not show such an association. Conclusion: In conclusion, these results may be a useful guide for future studies about the relationship between BMI and hernia and may provide foundation for better understanding of the pathophysiology of hernia is obese.