The causes of an inguinal hernia can be divided into congenital and acquired.
- A congenital inguinal hernia exists – as the name suggests – from birth and has its origin already during the child’s maturation during pregnancy.
- The acquired inguinal hernia, on the other hand, develops after birth, due to weaknesses or overloading or incorrect loading of the groin region. The cause of an inguinal hernia is usually the persistence of the so-called “processus vaginalis”.
This is a connection between the abdominal cavity and the groin that exists during pregnancy in the embryo. This connection normally closes until birth. If this does not happen or only incompletely, intestinal loops can slip through the open channel into the scrotum or labia.
If fluid enters the scrotum in the boy instead of intestinal loops, it is a testicular hydrocele.
In contrast, an acquired inguinal hernia develops only after birth, usually in later adulthood. In this case a direct as well as an indirect inguinal hernia can be present. In general, the causes of an acquired inguinal hernia can be assigned to several areas:
- In the course of life the connective tissue becomes weaker and loses its elasticity.
This makes the abdominal wall more susceptible to perforations from the inside.
- The other aspect includes overloading and incorrect loading of the abdominal wall. This can occur, for example, in smokers, where the abdominal wall is subjected to increased stress due to the frequent coughing and the resulting increased pressure in the abdominal cavity. In addition to this indirect effect of smoking, it is also assumed that nicotine has a direct unfavorable effect on the stability of the connective tissue.
- Other situations in which the pressure in the abdominal cavity increases also increase the risk of an inguinal hernia – for example when sneezing, defecating or lifting heavy weights – whether in everyday life, at work or during sports. In this way, constipation or pregnancy can also contribute to the development of an inguinal hernia.
- In addition, so-called ascites – water retention in the abdominal cavity, usually at the base of a liver disease – and an enlargement of the prostate, which is very common in older men, favour the development of an inguinal hernia.
- In addition, genetic influences also play a role: frequent inguinal hernias should make you sit up and take notice, because often there is a genetically caused weakness of the connective tissue. Finally, overweight or rectal tumors are also possible causes, since both increase the pressure in the abdominal cavity.
