Hernia occurs when an organ slips or gets misplaced from its original position. In most of the cases, instead of whole organ, some part of it gets misplaced or bulged out. Generally, bulging of the organ happens through wall cavity containing it. Since, bulged part of the organ is deprived of oxygen, it can be case of medical emergency and may require hernia repair surgery.
Hernia is categorized into four different types; inguinal hernia, hiatal hernia, incisional hernia and umbilical hernia. Let us get basic idea about these four types of hernia.
Inguinal hernia: It is the most common type of hernia and occurs more in males than women. This type of hernia occurs in inguinal region of both men and women. In women, it is the round ligament of uterus, whereas in men, it is a passage near spermatic cord (holds testicles in its place) located in anterior (front side) of abdominal wall.
Hiatal hernia: Hiatal hernia generally occurs in people who have crossed age of fifty. In this type of hernia, part of stomach bulges out. If this type of hernia is diagnosed in a child, then it is probably because of congenital (birth) defect.
Incision hernia: Incision hernia occurs in people who have already undergone abdominal surgery. Incisions on abdomen may leave surrounding tissues weak and that makes it more prone to misplacement of part of organ.
Umbilical hernia: As the name suggests, umbilical hernia occurs in babies. This may happen due to poor nourishment. Generally, it is detected in the baby's first year itself.
Some of the common causes of hernia are pregnancy, lifting of heavy weights, sudden weight gain and consistent coughing.