Dec 21 (Reuters Health) - Sleep apnea -- frequent, short periods during sleep when breathing stops -- may be much worse in people with a relatively common heart defect called patent foramen ovale or PFO, a study by Swedish researchers has found.
In PFO, an opening between the heart's two upper chambers that normally closes during fetal development remains open. PFO is present in 25 percent of the adult population, and the defect may allow deoxygenated blood to pass through the hole in the heart.
In PFO, an opening between the heart's two upper chambers that normally closes during fetal development remains open. PFO is present in 25 percent of the adult population, and the defect may allow deoxygenated blood to pass through the hole in the heart.
SOURCE: European Heart Journal, January 2007.
Publish Date: December 21, 2006
Publish Date: December 21, 2006
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