Incidence
Hydrocele is the most common benign swelling of the scrotum and has been estimated to occur in as many as 1 percent of the adult male population.
About one in 10 male infants has a hydrocele at birth, but most hydroceles disappear without treatment within the first year of life. Hydrocele is a disease observed only in males. Most hydroceles occur in adults and are most common in older men. Adult onset Hydrocele usually occurs in men older than 40 years.
In India and other tropical countries the incidence is much higher due to the high prevalence of filarial infections. In one review of 500 cases of hydrocele from India almost 43% were due to filarial infections.
Filaria infections worldwide are known to infect 120 million people worldwide and of these 25 million suffer from urinary and genital region infections.
W. bancrofti is the main adult filarial worm that accounts for about 98% of the infections in the 17 states and six union territories.
India contributes to about 40% of the total global burden of Filarial infections. In India, states like Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Gujarat, Kerala, Maharastra, Orissa, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal contribute to about 95% of total burden.
