An enlarged umbilical ring or umbilical hernia is a surgical pathology that in most cases occurs in young children. Its main feature is the appearance of a spherical bulge in the navel.
A pathology such as an enlarged umbilical ring, before the age of 5 years, is usually successfully treated with a massage of the abdominal wall. If the massage does not lead to the disappearance of the umbilical hernia, an operation has to be performed. In the same way, with the help of surgery, an umbilical hernia is treated in children over 5 years old and in adults.
Why the umbilical ring in children can expand
The widespread opinion among people who are not knowledgeable in medicine that the occurrence of an umbilical hernia somehow depends on the method of processing the umbilical cord is just a myth.
A few days after birth, babies lose the umbilical cord that connects the fetus to the placenta. The umbilical ring is tightly closed, overgrown with connective tissue. However, this process takes some time. If, for some reason, intraperitoneal pressure in the child's body increases before the umbilical ring is tightly closed, a hernia may form. This is mainly due to a genetic predisposition - the so-called "hereditary weakness of the peritoneal fascia." If one of the child's parents had an umbilical hernia in childhood, then he will have such a pathology with a very high probability (almost 70%, according to medical statistics).
An umbilical hernia can also develop due to increased gas production in the intestines, frequent and violent crying, constipation, and a number of other reasons.
If you notice some defect in the umbilical ring in an infant, be sure to show it to the surgeon. Place your baby belly down on a flat, hard surface 10 minutes before feeding.
For what reasons can there be an umbilical hernia in adults
An umbilical hernia can also occur in adulthood. This is due to excess weight, heavy physical exertion, trauma, postoperative scars on the abdomen. That is why some people are advised to wear a bandage after surgery.
Also, some diseases can cause an umbilical hernia, accompanied by a strong, prolonged cough or accumulation of fluid in the abdominal cavity - for example, ascites (dropsy).
In women, an umbilical hernia occurs much more often than in men. This is due to the anatomical and physiological differences in the female body. Pregnancy plays an especially important role in the formation of an umbilical hernia, especially in the later stages, when intra-abdominal pressure increases sharply, the muscles of the anterior abdominal wall weaken, and the umbilical ring is strongly stretched.
