This is an abstract of a report from the National Organization for Rare Disorders, Inc.® (NORD). CIGNA members can access the complete report by logging into myCIGNA.com. For non-CIGNA members, a copy of the complete report can be obtained for a small fee by visiting the NORD website. The complete report contains additional information including symptoms, causes, affected population, related disorders, standard and investigational treatments (if available), and references from medical literature. For a full-text version of this topic, see http://www.rarediseases.org/search/rdblist.html.
Most
umbilical hernias in children resolve on their own or
are surgically corrected by 4 or 5 years of age.
Very rarely, complications of an umbilical hernia develop that
require immediate surgery. These complications include:
Incarceration or strangulation, which is when part of the intestine or abdominal tissue
becomes trapped in the hernia sac. If part of the intestine is trapped, stool
may not be able to pass through, and the blood supply to the trapped loop of
intestine may be cut off. This can lead to
gangrene, which is death and decay of the trapped
tissue.
Rupture, when the skin over the
hernia breaks open, exposing the tissue inside the hernia sac. This is
extremely rare.
Symptoms of an incarcerated or strangulated umbilical hernia may
include:
Inability to push back (reduce) the contents of
the hernia sac into the abdomen.
Abdominal swelling
(distension).
Nausea and/or vomiting.
Crying and other evidence of pain.
The bulge increasing
in size, either gradually or suddenly.
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