A protuberant or projecting bulge of intestinal organs or fatty tissue through a weakened area of the abdominal wall is called a hernia. Most hernias appear though the abdominal wall, but others can also appear through the inner groin (inguinal), outer groin (femoral), belly button (umbilical), scar/incision location (incisional) and diaphragm (hiatal).

Treatment currently includes an implanted patch known as a hernia mesh, Although mesh is the prevailing standard of hernia repair, hernia mesh problems symptoms have been reported that can be signs of severe complications.

Reports and findings, moreover, indicate that hernia recurrence is thwarted using a hernia mesh. According to research from the Journal of the American Medical Association published in 2014, “using mesh leads to a lower chance of hernia recurrence than just stitching the torn tissue closed… because surgical mesh strengthens the weakened or torn tissues while stitches alone do not.”

Surgery is currently the only treatment used that can repair a hernia. Doctors in the U.S. currently repair roughly 800,000 inguinal repairs each year. A treatment option called “watchful waiting” can be used to monitor a hernia if the bulge is neither expanding nor enlarging, but a surgical procedure is the only treatment that can fully repair a hernia.

Although a hernia mesh may be the current standard of hernia repair, the Federal Drug Administration, or FDA warns that a hernia mesh should not be the selected treatment route every patient should follow; hernia mesh problems symptoms may occur.

According to the FDA, “despite reduced rates of recurrence, there are situations where the use of surgical mesh for hernia repair may not be recommended. Patients should talk to their surgeons about their specific circumstances and their best options and alternatives for hernia repair,” they caution.

Complications, side effects and adverse effects have been reported by the FDA. Some hernia mesh problems and most general adverse effects that have occurred include: Nerve damage, organ perforations, autoimmune reactions to mesh, intestinal blockage, pain and bleeding, and infection.

Hernia mesh problems can also include mesh shrinkage and mesh migration.

Accordingly, reports from the FDA have indicated that many hernia mesh problems and adverse effects that have occurred have been the result of recalled mesh products.

Additionally, these recalled mesh products have been the cause of most complications that have resulted from other mesh products but have also included bowel obstruction, the impasse of the small or large intestine and perforation which is the puncturing of the abdominal wall, bowel or abdominal organ.

When bowel perforation occurs, fecal matter or bacteria can then enter the abdominal wall and cause inflammation, also known as peritonitis, and if not treated, sepsis, or the infection of the bloodstream, can occur.

Hernia mesh symptoms that result from bowel perforation can include severe abdominal pain, vomiting and nausea.

According to research, moreover, presented at the 2016 Clinical Congress of American College of Surgeons, and published in JAMA Surgery hernia mesh problems and complications can occur up to five years post-surgery. The rate of hernia mesh problems has also been shown to increase, rather than decrease, throughout the five-year period.

When diagnosing and treating hernia mesh problems, hernia mesh symptoms can vary widely and can be linked and associated to other conditions. Medical practitioners, however, use a variety of medical tests, including, blood tests, CT scans and X-rays which can be used to identify other sets of conditions and complications.