Hernia in northern Jordan. Some epidemiological considerations.

This retrospective study covers the authors' experience over five years of 1,722 primary hernia repairs in 1,722 patients of all ages. An analysis of some epidemiological features is presented and discussed. Inguinal hernia was by far the commonest variety accounting for more than 84% of the total series. Regardless of sex and type of hernia, 60% of all hernias were right-sided while not more than 5% were bilateral. The male to female ratio for the entire series was 4.3:1 and 8.2:1 for the inguinal hernia group. The main findings of this retrospective study are in direct accord with other series reported in the literature. Furthermore, we suspect our results are typical of those to be found in large and comparable general community hospitals in Jordan.