Fig. 1

Patients diagnosed with unilateral inguinal hernias over time. A Decreasing numbers of male unilateral inguinal hernias per year in all age groups [< 1: 58 (95% confidence interval: 39–77, P < 0.0001); 1–4: 61 (95% confidence interval: 39–83, P < 0.0001); 5–9: 30 (95% confidence interval: 18–41, P = 0.0002); 10–14: 19 (95% confidence interval: 14–23, P < 0.0001)]. B Decreasing numbers of female unilateral hernias per year in all age groups [< 1: 19 (95% confidence interval: 12–26, P = 0.0001); 1–4: 15 (95% confidence interval: 10–21, P = 0.0001); 5–9: 8 (95% confidence interval: 3–14, P = 0.005); 10–14: 8 (95% confidence interval: 5–12, P = 0.0003)]. C Decreasing numbers of male unilateral incarcerated inguinal hernias per year in all age groups [< 1: 20 (95% confidence interval: 9–30, P = 0.0002); 1–4: 13 (95% confidence interval: 9–17, P < 0.0001); 5–9: 3 (95% confidence interval: 1–4, P = 0.003); 10–14: 1.5 (95% confidence interval: 0.6–2.4, P = 0.0043)]. D Decreasing numbers of female unilateral incarcerated inguinal hernias per year in the first year of life [16 (95% confidence interval: 13–19, P < 0.0001)] and until the age of 4 years [2 (95% confidence interval: 1–3; P = 0.0001)], whereas the numbers remained unchanged in older patients [5–9: − 0.1 (95% confidence interval: − 0.5–0.3, P = 0.501); 10–14: − 0.3 (95% confidence interval: − 0.6–0.03, P = 0.0665)]. All data were analyses with ordinary least squares regression except for female unilateral hernias in the age group between five and nine years