Hernia

　　Hernia is often caused by reasons such as coughing, sneezing, overexertion, abdominal obesity, straining during defecation, pregnancy in women, excessive crying in infants, and degenerative changes in the abdominal wall in the elderly. These factors can cause negative pressure in the abdominal cavity, leading to increased intra-abdominal pressure, forcing free abdominal organs such as the small intestine, cecum, omentum, bladder, ovary, and fallopian tube to enter another part of the body through normal or abnormal weak points, defects, or holes. The main symptoms of hernia are in the inguinal area, where a mass can be seen or felt. The trigger for the appearance of the mass is the rise in abdominal pressure, with crying being the most common cause.

　　In addition to its clinical manifestations, hernia can also lead to complications such as hydrocele of the testis, round ligament cyst of the uterus, spermatic cord cyst, etc. Therefore, it should attract great attention from clinical doctors and patients. Once symptoms appear, immediate medical treatment should be sought.

　　The main symptoms of gas hernia are painless scrotal swelling, scrotal descent, pain or坠胀感 in the hernia area, and restless crying in children, etc. Therefore, when patients have similar symptoms, they should seek medical attention promptly to avoid delaying the disease.

　　Since gas hernia can occur in infancy, it is necessary to frequently observe the inguinal or scrotal area of infants for the presence of intermittent masses. During infancy, the child's abdomen should not be wrapped too tightly to avoid increasing intra-abdominal pressure. Infants should not stand too early to prevent the descent of the intestines and the formation of an inguinal hernia. Foods that are easy to digest and rich in fiber should be consumed to maintain bowel regularity. If the stool is dry, measures for defecation should be taken. Daily attention should be paid to avoid loud crying and coughing to prevent increased abdominal pressure.

　　When the early hernia has not occurred with the incarceration, strangulation, or necrosis of the hernia contents, the laboratory examination is basically normal. However, once there is a strangulated hernia, the following changes may occur:

　　1. Increased white blood cell count, which can be seen in cases of dehydration and blood concentration. Concurrently, an increase in neutrophils is indicative of infectious intoxication. In severe cases, there may be left shift of granulocytes and toxic granules in the nuclei, even leading to a leukemoid reaction.

　　2. Changes in hemodynamics, such as increased heart rate, decreased blood pressure, poor microcirculatory perfusion, and shock.

　　3. Changes in blood biochemistry, with electrolyte disorders (hypokalemia) and acid-base imbalance (metabolic acidosis) being most common. Liver and kidney function damage may occur in the late stage.

　　4. Abnormal blood gas analysis, more common in diaphragmatic hernia. In late cases, significant abnormalities may appear, such as hypoxemia, inadequate alkali reserve, increased carbon dioxide partial pressure, etc.

　　5. Changes in coagulation mechanism. Early changes include dehydration, blood concentration, and a hypercoagulable state.

　　In terms of diet, patients with gas hernia can eat more nutritious foods. They should consume more roughage foods such as leeks, celery, cabbage, coarse grains, beans, bamboo shoots, etc. They should avoid spicy foods such as raw garlic and mustard greens, as well as smoking, drinking, greasy, moldy, and preserved foods.

　　Except for a few infantile hernias, most cases of gas hernia generally require surgical repair. In addition to clinical symptoms, gas hernia often complicates with diseases such as hydrocele of the testicle and varicocele, so it should be treated actively to avoid exacerbation of the condition.