Inguinal, femoral, and abdominal hernia is a common condition in general surgery, posing a significant healthcare burden due to its high prevalence. However, research on hernia burden is limited in both developed and developing countries. This study evaluates global, regional, and national age-period-cohort trends in hernia prevalence since 1992. Prevalence data from the Global Burden of Disease 2021 Study were used. We employed an age-period-cohort model to calculate longitudinal age-specific rates, net drift (overall annual percentage change), and local drift (annual percentage change for each age group) for individuals aged 5 to 79 years. We also estimated period and cohort relative risks by sex and sociodemographic index (SDI) quintiles from 1992 to 2021. Globally, age-standardized hernia prevalence has declined steadily over the past 3 decades, despite a continued rise in the absolute number of cases due to population growth. The decline has been more pronounced among males than females. Older adults (particularly those aged 65–69) consistently showed the highest prevalence across all regions, while young children (5–9 years) also represented a high-risk group in middle and high-middle SDI countries. Gender disparities in prevalence widened with age, and regional differences were observed, with greater reductions in high SDI countries, especially among females. Significant health disparities in hernia prevalence between genders and across age groups underscore the need for public health policies tailored to sex and age-specific data. Targeted interventions can alleviate the disease burden and promote greater health equity.
Gao et al. (Fri,) studied this question.