Dextrocardia is displacement of human heart to the right side. Does it occur during the life span of a human being or right from birth?
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asked Mar 12, 2016 at 10:47
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1$\begingroup$ A simple google search gives your answer "Dextrocardia is a rare heart condition in which your heart points toward the right side of your chest instead of the left side. Dextrocardia is congenital, which means people are born with this abnormality." $\endgroup$– another 'Homo sapien'Mar 12, 2016 at 10:53
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$\begingroup$ Oops... never knew this.... thanks for telling me.... $\endgroup$– Ajitanshu SinghMar 13, 2016 at 9:55
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1 Answer
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As the comments pointed out, this is not a hard question to answer with some research, but I'll add a few more details.
Dextrocardia is congenital. The human heart normally actually isn't so much on the left side - it's more pointed towards the left. In dextrocardia it points more towards the right side. This develops within the first few weeks of embryonic development, as the heart is one of the first organs to develop.
It occurs in about 0.7 percent of live births and 2.7 percent of stillbirths, indicating that there are health problems in the fetus associated with it. After birth, it's possible that the heart functions perfectly fine, but often there are other heart defects associated with dextrocardia.
Dextrocardia with situs inversus is a condition in which the heart and visceral organs are reversed. As for the cause, it's genetic and follows a recessive inheritance pattern, meaning both parents need to be carriers, but don't necessarily have the condition.
