Older men at highest risk for hernia repair operations, claims study

A new Australian study reveals who is most at risk of having hernia repair surgery, one of the most common medical conditions and surgical operations performed in hospitals worldwide.

Half of the 435,826 hernia repair procedures in adults undertaken in Australia between 2017 and 2021 were for inguinal (groin) hernias, with men accounting for 89.6% of the operations.

Using data from the Australian Institute of Health & Welfare (AIHW), University of South Australia researchers have crunched the numbers for five different types of hernia operations, identifying what age groups and genders are at highest risk.

People aged between 60-64 years, particularly men, are at most risk overall, but women are more prone to repairs of femoral hernias in the upper part of the thigh, and incisional hernias, a common side effect of abdominal surgery.

When it comes to surgery for epigastric and other abdominal hernias across all age groups, men are at much higher risk, although women aged 20-39 years are more likely than men in their age group to have an epigastric hernia operation (between the sternum and belly button).