Both my dad and my grandfather (on his side) have had hernias. Are they hereditary? Does that make me more likely to have one?
We are starting to learn more about hernias and to understand the biology of hernia formation. Patients that develop hernias may have abnormalities in their collagen. Experimental data has demonstrated an abnormal ratio of collagen 1 (mature collagen) to collagen 3 (immature collagen) in hernia patients. This is likely to be hereditary.