Who gets inguinal hernias?

Inguinal hernias are the most common hernias that are not caused by an incision in the abdominal wall.

In children

• The risk of developing hernias is higher for infants born prematurely or with low birth weight than it is for other babies.
• Out of 100 full-term infants, 3 to 5 will have hernias.¹
• Inguinal hernias are more common on the right side (about 60%) than on the left side (about 30%). About 10% of children with hernias have them on both sides.¹

In adults

• About 3% to 5% of men older than 45 develop inguinal hernias.²
• About 65% to 70% of groin hernias in men and women result because the opening to the inguinal canal does not close before birth (indirect hernia).²
• About 30% of hernias in men occur from normal aging and wear and tear (direct hernias), and about 1% to 2% are hernias of the upper thigh (femoral). The reverse is true for women—30% have femoral hernias and 1% to 2% have direct hernias.²

Citations

1. Aiken JJ, Oldham KT (2007). Inguinal hernias. In RM Kliegman et al., eds., Nelson Textbook of Pediatrics, 18th ed., pp. 1644–1650. Philadelphia: Saunders Elsevier.
2. Jeyarajah R, Harford WV (2006). Inguinal and femoral hernias (groin hernias) section of Abdominal hernias and gastric volvulus. In M Feldman et al., eds., Sleisenger and Fordtran's Gastrointestinal and Liver Disease, 8th ed., vol. 1, pp. 483–487. Philadelphia: Saunders/Elsevier.