‘Around 5.44 lakh suffer from hernias in the state’: Study

GUWAHATI: An estimated 5.44 lakh people in Assam have been suffering from groyne hernia, resulting in negative economic fallouts as the patients are mostly farmers and daily wage earners. They have to lose their age when it occurs. A hernia is a bulge in the abdominal wall that occurs when an organ or tissue pushes through a weak spot in the muscles. Addressing a seminar, Hernia Surgery Specialist Dr. Nipanka Goswami said that for various reasons, such patients come for surgery at the last minute after prolonged diagnosis and treatment in vain.

According to him, some people have an inborn hernia, some develop it at the prime age of 18–25 years, and some are 70 years of age. The prevalence of groyne hernias is approximately 1.7 per 100 individuals for all ages and 4 per 100 individuals for the age group of 45 and above. It occurs mostly in males.

“This problem occurs mostly in urban areas nowadays because of the lifestyle. The only remedy is surgery, which can repair the hernia and prevent its recurrence,” he said. Dr. Goswami said, “People belonging to the poor and middle-income groups generally tend to avoid treatment for hernias because of the cost factor. Nowadays, mesh-less open groyne hernia surgery is quite affordable. It costs around half the cost of mesh hernia surgery, and it takes a maximum 24-hour stay in a hospital. Earlier, in most cases, hernia surgery was done with the use of mesh, a thin, flexible sheet of material that is placed over the weak spot in the muscle. The mesh helps to reinforce the muscles and prevents the hernia from coming back.”

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