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Signs & Symptoms of Patent Foramen Ovale

A patent foramen ovale (PFO) is a congenital (present at birth) heart defect. It occurs when the hole between the two upper chambers of the heart, which usually closes shortly after birth, never fully closes. Many times children or adults with this heart defect never have any symptoms and live life having no problems. However, there can be some warning signs that develop.

  1. Cyanosis

    • Some children or adults with PFO will experience a bluish tinge to the skin. This is caused by a lack of oxygenated blood being pumped throughout the body. The blue skin will commonly present in the lips, fingers, toes or on the bottom of the feet or palms of the hands. The cyanosis commonly occurs when the person strains themselves such as during a coughing spell or a bowel movement.

    Stroke

    • The Cleveland Clinic reports that sometimes a PFO is never diagnosed until the person with this defect suffers a stroke. Oftentimes, the stroke occurs after a blood clot which would normally be stopped has worked its way through the hole in the upper chambers and has gotten into the brain where it causes the stroke.

    Decompression Sickness

    • A person with PFO can be at a greater risk for decompression sickness. Decompression sickness is a condition that affects many deep sea divers. Jonathan D. Marmur, MD, FACC, FRCP reports that decompression sickness occurs when a proportion of blood carrying inert gases (helium nitrogen) fails to pass through the lungs. If a person has a PFO, the gas laden blood will pass through the PFO and will potentially cause large bubbles to form in the blood stream causing decompression sickness.

    Down's Syndrome

    • Many times people that have Down's syndrome also have multiple heart conditions. PFO has been known to be a common occurrence in many Down's syndrome patients. In fact, Jonathan D. Marmur, MD, FACC, FRCP reports that PFO's are the most common heart defect in Down's syndrome patients. Many times this condition will be detected early on and repaired.

    Migraine

    • Migraine headaches are common in patients that suffer from PFO. According to Pranathi Kondapaneni, M.D., MPH there is a strong correlation between migraine headaches and PFO. In fact, some people have even had a cessation of migraines once the PFO was closed. While this is still somewhat controversial, it has sparked many additional studies on the subject.

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