The Health bulletin [serial] - University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

The Problem of Hernia
Hernia, while not an important cause
of death, is a common impairment and
a leading cause of hospitalization. Thus
it is a significant factor in considering
problems of hospital use and health
care.
Based on National Health Survey
findings, it is estimated that approxi-
mately 2,900,000 people in the United
States— about 15 per 1,000— have a
hernia.* The condition occurs most often
at the extremes of life, in infancy for
congenital reason and in old age as
a result of weakened body tissues. It
is reported three times more frequently
among males than females, reflecting
the generally more strenuous activities
of men as well as their great vulner-
ability to hernias affecting the groin.
As the accompanying table shows, 23.2
per 1,000 males report a hernia com-
pared with 7.1 for females. A distinct
disparity by sex exists in every age
group but is especially marked at ages
\
V
-7-
Age Perio
(Yeorsl
All Ages
Under 1
1-14
15-24
25-34
35-44 .
45-54
55-64
65-74
75 and over
75 and older, where the prevalence of
123 per 1,000 among males is more
than 6 times that for females. Hernia
occurs least often in the teens and
early twenties, its prevalence rising
steadily thereafter.
As a cause of hospitalization among
males, hernia is exceeded only by resp-
iratory conditions, injuries, and dis-
eases of the heart. t The average length
of hospital stay for men undergoing a
hernia repair or correction is about a
week. Women, who account for only
a fifth of the hospitalized cases, stay
on the average almost three days
longer. Both frequency and duration of
*Hernias Reported in Interviews, United
States, July 1957-June 1959; National Center
for Health Statistics, Series B.—No.
25, Washington, D. C, December 1960.
fHospital Discharges and Length of Stay:
'^hort-Stay Hospitals, United States, July
i963-June 1964; National Center for Health
Statistics, Series 10—No. 30, Washington,
D. C, June 1966.
HERNIA PREVALENCE AND MORTALITY IN THE UNITED STATES
ge Frevdience Rates peFj^^BI^^Mrge Death Rates per 100,000
5 July T 957-Jwne 1959 "WSj^^^f^: T962-64
T«fat Persons Males Femafef*^ 'total Persons Moles FerrtdJe's
14.9
5.6
4.1
9.4
12.1
19.0
32.2
49.5
64.6
23.2
8.2
6.4
12,4
17.7
28.1
51.8
86.5
122.9
7.1
3.0
2.1
6.7
6.9
10.2
14.1
17.0
19.9
1.8 1.9 1.7
15.7