K42.9: Umbilical hernia without obstruction or gangrene

You have an umbilical hernia.

The abdominal wall is the front part of the abdomen. The abdominal wall is made up of various layers. From the outermost to the innermost, the layers are: the skin, the fatty tissue, the muscles and various connective tissue layers. The abdominal wall is very solid. The organs thus remain in the abdomen even at high pressure. The abdominal wall has weak points in some places. At these weaker points, the abdominal wall is thinner, or there are natural gaps in the abdominal wall. One weak point for instance is the navel.

In your case, the weak point on the navel has intensified. Due to the weak point, tissue from the abdomen may squeeze outward through the muscles and connective tissue. This tissue can for instance be the intestines, stomach or fatty tissue from the abdominal cavity. The tissue from the abdominal cavity always remains covered by fatty tissue and the skin. This is also called a hernia. A protrusion on the navel may then be formed. The protrusion is particularly visible when pressure in the abdomen is high. That may occur for instance during coughing or squeezing. Pressure in the abdomen also increases with heavy lifting.

Due to the umbilical hernia, you may have burning pain in your navel.

If the weak point is especially small, the tissue from the abdomen may sometimes jam in the gap. The blood supply may then be cut off. In that case, the tissue from the abdomen is no longer properly supplied with blood and can thus be damaged. If this condition lasts too long, the tissue from the abdomen may necrotize. But the umbilical hernia will also often cause no symptoms.