What Causes Dextrocardia?

Hi & Welcome. I appreciate your concern for the causes of Dextrocardia. Dextrocardia is a rare condition in which your heart is located in the right side instead of being in the left side of your chest. It is a congenital condition, meaning that you are born with this abnormality. The exact cause of Dextrocardia is unknown. The heart may form in the right side of the chest during fetal development and function normally. In other words, the heart’s ventricles, arteries, and other structures are all arranged in a mirror image of normal heart structures. Sometimes defects in the lungs, abdomen, or chest can cause the heart to develop on the right side of the body. You are more likely to have other heart defects and problems with other vital organs in this case. The signs and symptoms of swollen feet and ankles, shortness of breath, accumulation of fluid in both the lungs, pericardial effusion are suggestive of heart failure which is a complication of this condition. People with isolated dextrocardia are sometimes affected by a condition called “situs inversus.” Situs inversus is a situation in which your liver, spleen, or other organs are also located on the opposite side of your body. Most of the people with isolated dextrocardia are likely to live a normal life. Reduced function of the cilia in the lungs are responsible for the recurrent pneumonia. Males with cilia problems may be infertile due to the resulting decreased ability of the sperm cells to propel themselves forward and fertilize the female egg cell. You are advised to undergo further evaluation by a physician to rule out the possibility of situs inversus. Wishing you best of your health.