Revista de Ciencias Médicas de Pinar del Río (May 2018)
Epidemiology of patients with bilateral inguinal hernia
Abstract
Introduction: inguinal hernia is a frequent disease, its bilateral presentation, lack of epidemiological data and its management is controversial. In Cuba, one third of all the surgeries performed in a clinical-surgical hospital are due to inguinocrural hernia. Objective: to determine the epidemiological characteristics of patients with bilateral inguinal hernia. Methods: an observational, descriptive and cross-sectional study was conducted in patients with the diagnosis of bilateral inguinal hernia at Abel Santamaría Cuadrado General Teaching Hospital in Pinar del Río, Cuba, from 2014 to 2017. The intentional sample was comprised of 62 cases. Descriptive statistics methods were applied for qualitative and quantitative variables. The data were taken out from the individual medical records. Results: an average of 21 cases was presented annually. Male sex predominated over female (82.3% vs. 17.74%). The most frequent age group was older than 60 years, with an average of 66. Among the patients with hernia, indirect-indirect bilateral inguinal hernia was more frequent (87.1%). Hypertension and diabetes mellitus were the most frequent pathological antecedents (45.2, 30.6%). The surgical technique most used was Nyhus. The main triggering factor was the age of the patient (69.35%), followed by chronic efforts to defecate, urinate, cough, lifting of heavy objects (61.29%) and sedentary lifestyle (50.00%). Conclusions: the main epidemiological characteristics determined in patients with bilateral inguinal hernia are: male geriatric patients, hypertensive and diabetic, assiduous to chronic efforts and sedentary lifestyle.
