ArticleWorld journal of surgery2013
Characterizing the global burden of surgical disease: a method to estimate inguinal hernia epidemiology in Ghana.
Article in World journal of surgery, 2013. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 31 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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31 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 80 citations in OpenAlex.
- Meta-analysis of the use of sterilized mosquito net mesh for inguinal hernia repair in less economically developed countries.BJS open · 2019Pooled it
- International guidelines for groin hernia management.Hernia : the journal of hernias and abdominal wall surgery · 2018Guideline
- Standardised Competency-Based Training of Medical Doctors and Associate Clinicians in Inguinal Repair with Mesh in Sierra Leone.World journal of surgery · 2023Trial
- An estimate of hernia prevalence in Sierra Leone from a nationwide community survey.Hernia : the journal of hernias and abdominal wall surgery · 2014Trial
- Article
- Postgraduate surgical hernia training with a standardized hernia surgery training tool: training while serving humanity.Annals of medicine and surgery (2012) · 2025Article
- Task sharing in elective inguinal hernia surgery in Ghana: a workforce model comparing surgeons and physicians.The British journal of surgery · 2025Article
- Structured hernia surgery training program for general practitioners in Rwanda - feasibility and evaluation.Hernia : the journal of hernias and abdominal wall surgery · 2025Article
- Case Report: A Rare Case of an Obstructed Floating Kidney Incarcerated Within a Massive Scrotal Hernia: Management at a Norwegian Hospital by Surgeons With Experience in Africa.Journal of abdominal wall surgery : JAWS · 2025Article
- Long-Term Outcomes Following Inguinal Hernia Repair With Mesh Performed by Medical Doctors and Surgeons in Ghana.Annals of surgery open : perspectives of surgical history, education, and clinical approaches · 2024Article
- Prevalence, incidence, repair rate, and morbidity of groin hernias in Sierra Leone: cross-sectional household study.BJS open · 2023Article
- Economic evaluation of expanding inguinal hernia repair among adult males in Ghana.PLOS global public health · 2022Article
- Comparative study of collagen and elastin content of abdominal wall fascia in inguinal hernia and non-hernia patients in an African population.Hernia : the journal of hernias and abdominal wall surgery · 2020Article
- Groin Hernia Surgery in Uganda: Caseloads and Practices at Hospitals Operating Within the Publicly Funded Healthcare Sector.World journal of surgery · 2020Article
- Population-based rates of hernia surgery in Ghana.Hernia : the journal of hernias and abdominal wall surgery · 2020Article
- Consensus on international guidelines for management of groin hernias.Surgical endoscopy · 2020Article
- Prevalence and risk factors for abdominal wall hernia in the general Russian population.Hernia : the journal of hernias and abdominal wall surgery · 2019Article
- MeshBJS open · 2019Article
- Outcomes After Inguinal Hernia Repair With Mesh Performed by Medical Doctors and Surgeons in Ghana.JAMA surgery · 2019Article
- Inguinal hernia surgery in Korea: nationwide data from 2007-2015.Annals of surgical treatment and research · 2019Article
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Authors and funding
5 authors at 2 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundSurgical conditions represent an immense yet underrecognized source of disease burden globally. Characterizing the burden of surgical disease has been defined as a priority research agenda in global surgery. Little is known about the epidemiology of inguinal hernia, a common easily treatable surgical condition, in resource-poor settings.
methodsUsing data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey prospective cohort study of inguinal hernia, we created a method to estimate hernia epidemiology in Ghana. We calculated inguinal hernia incidence and prevalence using Ghanaian demographic data and projected hernia prevalence under three surgical rate and hernia incidence scenarios. Disability adjusted life-years (DALYs) associated with inguinal hernia along with costs for surgical repair were estimated.
resultsAccording to this approach, the prevalence of inguinal hernia in the Ghanaian general population is 3.15% (range 2.79-3.50%). Symptomatic hernias number 530,082 (range 469,501-588,980). The annual incidence of symptomatic hernias is 210 (range 186-233) per 100,000 population. At the estimated Ghanaian hernia repair rate of 30 per 100,000, a backlog of 1 million hernias in need of repair develop over 10 years. The cost of repairing all symptomatic hernias in Ghana is estimated at US $53 million, and US $106 million would be required to eliminate hernias over a 10-year period. Nearly 5 million DALYs would be averted with the repair of prevalent cases of symptomatic hernia in Ghana.
conclusionsData generated by our method indicate the extent to which Ghana lacks the surgical capacity to address its significant inguinal hernia disease burden. This approach provides a simple framework for calculating inguinal hernia epidemiology in resource-poor settings that may be used for advocacy and program planning in multiple country contexts.
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