Does and umbilical hernia or a hiatal hernia cause a large stomach and does repair yelp reduce size of stomach?

Hello keckm56 and thanks for your question! Large abdominal girth may be caused by hernia, excessive weight, intra-abdominal fat volume and separation of the muscles (diastasis). Usually hernias must be large to contribute to a really "big" belly. Best wishes, Dr. ALDO.

The short answer to your question is No. Neither a hiatal hernia nor an umbilical hernia would cause an increase in the size of the stomach. So repairing them would not therefor reduce the size of the stomach. A hiatal hernia is a weakness in the diaphragm (which is the muscle that lies between the abdomen and the chest and allows you to breathe) into which some of the stomach and occasionally intestines may bulge. This commonly causes heartburn-like conditions but does not enlarge the stomach.An umbilical hernia is usually a small weakness in the abdominal wall next to the belly button through which intestines can bulge causing some local protrusiuon just around the belly button. Except in rare cases, umbilical hernias tend to be relatively small and normally do not contribute to overall abdominal size.

An umbilical hernia is a weakness in the abdominal wall.  A larger one can cause a bulge.  A hiatal hernia is a weakness in the diaphragm on the top inner part of your abdomen which you cannot see.  Hiatal hernias can result in reflux and heartburn.  Best of luck. Dr. Michael Omidi









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