Maternal risk factors for paediatric inguinal hernia.

In this study of 786 322 children in Canada from 2006 to 2019, it was found that children whose mothers had an inguinal hernia or connective tissue disorder were more at risk of developing a hernia themselves. Repairs for inguinal hernia are among the most common operations performed in children. The results showed that girls whose mothers had an inguinal hernia had more than five times the risk of developing an inguinal hernia before 13 years of age. Boys whose mothers had connective tissue disorders had a 35 per cent greater risk of inguinal hernia. These findings suggest that inguinal hernias may be inherited.