An age-related increase in estrogen may be the culprit behind an inguinal hernia, a condition common among elderly men that often requires corrective surgery, suggests a new study. One consequence of aging in men is that a larger share of the male sex hormone testosterone is converted to estrogen by a hormone called aromatase. In the study, the researchers found the lower abdominal muscles of mice are particularly sensitive to estrogen, developing scar tissue in response to increases in estrogen levels that weaken the abdominal wall and eventually cause a hernia.
When the investigators reduced estrogen with a drug compound, it prevented a hernia, suggesting a therapy with preventive potential in humans, said the study published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. "It may make sense to treat at-risk men with an aromatase inhibitor that could decrease estrogen…
