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Button Hernia Symptoms

A button hernia, also known as an umbilical hernia, is a normal and usually harmless condition typically found during the first year of life. They are so named because they cause the belly button to protrude when the child cries. Button hernias typically go away after the child's first birthday, but they may require surgery when they remain longer or happen in adults.

  1. Symptoms

    • According to the Mayo Clinic, an umbilical or button hernia produces a bulge around the navel. The bulge may be there all the time, or it may appear only when the child cries, coughs or does something else that puts pressure on the abdomen. Children's button hernias usually are painless, but they may cause abdominal pain in adults.

    Causes in Infants

    • According to the Mayo Clinic, a button hernia happens in infants because of an opening in the abdominal muscles. Normally, this opening, which allows the umbilical cord to pass through, closes before birth. But if the abdominal muscles fail to meet completely, it creates a weakness that can cause a button hernia either at birth or years later.

    Causes in Adults

    • According to the Mayo Clinic, button hernia also happens when people put too much pressure on their abdomens. Possible causes include obesity, strenuous lifting, coughing, having several pregnancies and fluid in the abdominal cavity.

    Treatment

    • Button hernia in infants usually goes away on its own by the child's first birthday. But a doctor may recommend surgery if it gets bigger, or if it remains past the child's fourth birthday. Doctors may also want to repair the hernia if it blocks normal intestinal function.

      Doctors almost always recommend surgery for adults with umbilical hernia, according to the Mayo Clinic.

    Complications

    • Children rarely have problems resulting from button hernia, according to the Mayo Clinic. In the rare cases when they do, the abdominal tissue that sticks out becomes trapped and no longer recedes into the abdominal cavity. This deprives that section of tissue of its blood supply and can cause pain and tissue damage.

      Complications are more likely in adults, according to the Mayo Clinic. If intestinal tissue is trapped or obstructed, it usually requires surgery right away.

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