Are women with pelvic organ prolapse at a higher risk of developing hernias?

Introduction and hypothesis: Pelvic organ prolapse and hernia are common disorders which share several pathopysiological and epidemiological features. We therefore aimed to assess whether women with advanced pelvic organ prolapse have a higher prevalence of hernia.

Methods: We reviewed charts of women undergoing surgery for advanced pelvic organ prolapse and compared them to age-matched controls with mild or no prolapse.

Results: We identified 60 patients who underwent surgery for advanced pelvic organ prolapse and 60 controls. The total prevalence of hernias was significantly higher among patients with pelvic organ prolapse (31.6% vs. 5%, p = 0.0002), attributed to hiatal (16.6% vs. 1.6%, p = 0.004) and inguinal (15% vs. 3.3%, p = 0.04) hernias.

Conclusions: Patients with advanced pelvic organ prolapse have a higher prevalence of hiatal and inguinal hernias. This finding may be explained by similar pathophysiological mechanisms shared by both disorders.