Inguinal Hernia: Signs and Symptoms in Children and Adults

An inguinal hernia occurs when tissue pushes through a weak abdominal muscle wall. This can occur in childhood or adulthood.

The resulting bulge can be painful, especially when you cough, bend over or lift a heavy object.

Inguinal hernia signs and symptoms:

Some inguinal hernias don’t cause any symptoms. Inguinal hernia signs and symptoms include:

• A bulge in the area on either side of your pubic bone
• A burning, gurgling or aching sensation at the bulge
• Pain or discomfort in your groin, especially when coughing or lifting
• A heavy or dragging sensation in your groin
• Pain and swelling around the testicles when the protruding intestine descends into the scrotum.

What to do:

You should be able to gently and easily push the hernia back into your abdomen when you’re lying down.

If not, applying an ice pack to the area may reduce the swelling enough so that the hernia slides in easily. Lying with your pelvis higher than your head also may help.

If you aren’t able to push the hernia in, the omentum or a loop of intestine can be trapped in the abdominal wall.
If any of these signs or symptoms occurs, call your doctor right away:

• Nausea, vomiting or both
• Fever
• Rapid heart rate
• Sudden pain that quickly intensifies
• A hernia bulge that turns red, purple or dark

Signs and symptoms in children

Inguinal hernias in newborns and children result from a weakness in the abdominal wall that’s present at birth.

Sometimes the hernia may be visible only when an infant is crying, coughing or straining during a bowel movement.

In an older child, a hernia is likely to be more apparent when the child coughs, strains during a bowel movement or

stands for a long period of time

An inguinal hernia isn’t necessarily dangerous by itself. It doesn’t get better or go away on its own, however, and it can lead to life-threatening complications.

What is Onychocryptosis – Symptoms, Causes, Prevention and Treatment

Onychocryptosis or ingrown nail is a painful condition mostly affecting the feet. Here, a nail grows in such a manner that it cuts into the sides of the nail bed. It results in swelling of the flesh surrounding the embedded nail.

Symptoms of Onychocryptosis:

• Pain along the nail margins
• Wearing of tight foot wears worsening the pain
• Bumping of the effected toe
• Punctured tissues of the toe
• Sensitivity to pressure placed even by bed sheets
• Redness due to infection
• Swelling
• Drainage of pus
• Watery discharge with blood

Causes of Ingrown Nail:

• Wearing unsuitable footwear
• Wearing shoes without enough toe-box room
• Wearing tight stockings
• Softening of nail plates
• Toes being enclosed in shoes making them damp and wet
• Trauma or injury to the nail
• Inappropriate cutting of nail
• Bad nail care
• Too much skin around the nail

Prevention of Ingrown Nail:

• Cutting nail straight across
• Nail not being cut shorter than the flesh around it
• Avoiding foot wears which are short, narrow or with small toe box
• Toenail being stubbed
• Avoiding dropping of things in the toenail
• Wearing properly fitting shoes especially while working or playing

Treatment of Onychocryptosis:

• The treatment depends on the severity of the condition. It can range from soaking the nail and the surrounding flesh in an antibiotic to carrying out surgery.
• In most of the cases, complications arise due to the infection caused in the feet by the bacteria rather than the embedded nail.
• Applying iodine can prevent minor infections. However, they should not be used on deep wounds.
• Mild cases can be treated by dipping the affected region in warm water and epsom salt mixture. Antiseptics available over the counter should be applied on them later.
• Socks should be changed on daily basis and removed at night allowing the toes remain cool and dry.
• Shoes should be kept dry and treated with anti-bacterial products to keep the growth of bacteria to bare minimum.
• Serious cases require consultation with podiatrists, who are the specialists trained to diagnose and treat disorders of foot, ankle and lower leg.

Learn To Identify The Signs And Symptoms Of High Cholesterol

Know your Cholesterol Levels

Cholesterol is basically a type of fat, or lipids as we know them, present in the blood itself. The “high cholesterol” content in certain foods and those attained by artificial means makes the body cholesterol rise above normal, and we face certain health problems. This abnormal increase in the cholesterol levels often lead to atherosclerosis – a problem wherein arteries get hardened, which in turn lead to cardiac arrests, stroke, and such other terminal heart problems.

Hence, it is important for all of us to be aware of the following basic facts regarding cholesterol:

• High cholesterol is said to have occurred in conditions wherein the count is 240 or above.
• The cholesterol level is said to be just on the edge or “borderline” when the count is between 200 and 239.
• The best and ideal condition is when your cholesterol count is just 200. So, try achieving this perfect figure to keep yourself healthiest.

Signs and Symptoms of High Cholesterol

As found by scientific reports and medical studies, high cholesterol levels or “hypercholesterolemia” does not really occur accompanied with distinct signs and symptoms. Those symptoms may be due to some other disease as well; however, if you have encountered such problems at all, do not overlook them as possible signs of increasing cholesterol levels. Some of such signs and symptoms include:

• Obesity – Gain in weight is mostly the root cause to most of the health problems, and rising cholesterol levels are no exception to this. Thus weight gain is one of the symptoms of high cholesterol levels.
• One may experience pain in the chest, breathing difficulties, and such other respiratory organ disorders or problems as part of the effects of high cholesterol.
• Vomiting tendency, nauseous feelings, digestion problems, dizziness, and weakness are often reported to have been caused to patients suffering from high cholesterol levels.
• Often rise in the cholesterol content of the body may cause joint and back pain, shoulder pain, neck pain, discomfort in body parts, jaw, etc.

It is thus very important to have a thorough checkup of your cholesterol levels at regular intervals, and keep a tab on the figures that suggest the content in your body. You should not ignore even the slightest hint of high cholesterol or possibilities of such a problem as it can further lead to major health issues.