Body Mass Index and Inguinal Hernia: An Observational Study Focusing on the Association of Inguinal Hernia With Body Mass Index

Objective An inguinal hernia is a common condition associated with advanced age, male gender, smoking, connective tissue disorder, and factors responsible for increased intra-abdominal pressure. This study aimed to observe the relationship of body mass index with the development of inguinal hernia in males and females. Methodology This cross-sectional descriptive study using a non-probability convenient sampling technique was carried out at Al-Tibri medical college and hospital, Karachi, Pakistan. A total of 82 patients were selected: 78 males and four females. The ethical approval for the study was taken from Institutional Research and Ethical Committee. Inclusion criteria based on the patient age above 40 of either gender with complaints of pain in the groin region with clinical findings like swelling and tenderness. Data were analyzed using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 20.0 (IBM Inc., Armonk, USA). Results The mean age of 82 patients diagnosed with an inguinal hernia on a clinical basis was 47.41 ± 15.49 years. The mean height was 67.09 ± 3.95 inches. The mean weight was 63.5 ± 6.77 kg. The mean BMI was 22.07 ± 2.17 kg/m2. Seventy-eight (96.06%) were males, and four (5.9%) were females. Thirty-four (41.5%) patients were diagnosed with right inguinal hernia, 34 (41.5%) - with a left inguinal hernia, and 14 (17.1%) - with a bilateral inguinal hernia. BMI was normal in 68 (86.3%) and low in 14 (20.55%) patients. Our study indicated that patients with normal BMI were more likely to suffer from inguinal hernia than patients with low BMI. Conclusion This study concluded that the normal body mass index was associated with a high occurrence of inguinal hernia among the genders. The normal body mass index in males exhibits more inguinal hernia chances than a low body mass index. It was observed that the frequency of unilateral right inguinal hernia is higher than bilateral. Similarly, males are more affected than females.