{"id":14552,"date":"2025-03-21T11:05:33","date_gmt":"2025-03-21T03:05:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.premierclinic.hk\/?p=14552"},"modified":"2025-03-21T11:05:34","modified_gmt":"2025-03-21T03:05:34","slug":"%e8%aa%8d%e8%ad%98%e5%b9%bc%e5%85%92%e5%b0%8f%e8%85%b8%e6%b0%a3%e7%97%87%e7%8b%80-%e7%99%bc%e7%8f%be%e8%82%9a%e8%87%8d%e9%9a%86%e8%b5%b7%e5%8f%8a%e6%97%a9%e6%b1%82%e9%86%ab","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.premierclinic.hk\/en\/news\/%e8%aa%8d%e8%ad%98%e5%b9%bc%e5%85%92%e5%b0%8f%e8%85%b8%e6%b0%a3%e7%97%87%e7%8b%80-%e7%99%bc%e7%8f%be%e8%82%9a%e8%87%8d%e9%9a%86%e8%b5%b7%e5%8f%8a%e6%97%a9%e6%b1%82%e9%86%ab\/","title":{"rendered":"Understand the symptoms of hernia in children and seek medical attention early if you notice a bulge in your belly button (MameShare)"},"content":{"rendered":"

Mrs. Li returned to work after her one-year-old son turned 1. However, her son had recently become restless and cried frequently. Mrs. Li assumed he was simply unaccustomed to his absence. During one crying episode, Mrs. Li noticed a small bump on his belly button, which retracted when he calmed down. Initially, she thought it was simply an underdeveloped navel, but the intermittent appearance of the bump worried her, so she took her son to see a doctor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

After examination by the doctor, it was diagnosed that the small bulge in the child's belly button was caused by "hernia", commonly known as "intestinal hernia" or "prolapse of the intestine".<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is hernia (intestinal hernia)?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Under normal circumstances, the abdominal muscle layer wraps around the intestines and internal organs and hides them inside the body. When this abdominal muscle layer becomes thinner or weak, the internal organs (in most cases, the small intestine) are squeezed out of their original position through this gap, which is a hernia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hernia caused by the small intestine, commonly known as "hernia", is common in infants and young children. This is because the congenital structure of the groin or navel of infants is not completely closed. When crying or coughing, the abdominal pressure increases, which may cause part of the intestine to bulge through the opening.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Common symptoms of hernia: umbilical hernia and inguinal hernia<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Infantile hernia is categorized into two main types: inguinal and umbilical. Parents can visually detect symptoms of hernia in young children. Doctors will determine whether surgical treatment is necessary based on the severity of the condition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. Umbilical hernia (belly button hernia)<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Mrs. Li's son is a case of this kind. When a fetus is still in the mother's womb, there is a congenital ring-shaped notch at the navel site, which usually closes automatically at birth. If this notch fails to completely close after birth, it can easily cause navel hernia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. Inguinal hernia (gas in the groin)<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

This type of hernia is often caused by a congenital anatomy. During male embryonic development, the testicles, originally located within the abdominal cavity, must pass through the inguinal canal before descending to the scrotum outside the abdominal cavity. Once this process is complete, the opening of the inguinal canal typically closes automatically. However, if this fails to completely close, leaving a gap, it can cause hernia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Women can also suffer from inguinal gas, which can be the small intestine, ovaries or part of the fallopian tubes. However, because the inguinal canal in women is narrower than that in men, the chance of suffering from this disease is relatively low.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Visual observation of symptoms of intestinal gas<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

As young children may not be able to clearly express their discomfort or pain verbally, if you suspect your child has intestinal gas, parents can observe changes in their child's appearance with the naked eye:<\/p>\n\n\n\n