Did you know that some people have organs in inverted positions?

As you know, the heart is leftmost in our body, as is the stomach and spleen, while the liver is located to the right, for example. However, did you know that some people are born with internal organs in inverted positions? This condition - called situs inversus - affects only 0.01% of the population, and the vast majority of those affected do not even know they were born this way.

Normally, those with this condition happen to find out that they have inverted internal organs, and can lead a completely normal life. In addition, there are also different types of situs inversus, such as situs totalis, ambiguous, partial, abdominal, dextrocardia and mesocardia.

Variations

In the first case, the totalis, the person is born with all the inverted chest and abdomen organs, while in the second, the ambiguous, the stomach develops behind the liver, and both organs are positioned in the center of the abdomen. In the case of partial situs inversus, only some structures are in shifted positions, and in the abdominal, as its name implies, all organs of the abdomen are inverted.

Those with dextrocardia have a heart located on the right side of the chest, and the lungs - noting that the left is usually smaller than the right - are also inverted. In the case of mesocardia, the heart is located in the center of the chest. In some cases, the affected have some health problems, while others even need to undergo surgical interventions.

Related Anomalies

Situs inversus is associated with some rare congenital anomalies, and 3% of those born with this condition suffer from a heart problem. A common anomaly in people born with dextrocardia, for example, is transposition of the great arteries, which results in the heart working backwards.

In people with properly positioned organs, the left ventricle - which is the strongest portion of the heart - is responsible for pumping blood throughout the body, while the right (weaker) usually sends blood to the lungs.

In individuals with dextrocardia, this process occurs in reverse, as the aorta - which leaves the left ventricle - is in place of the pulmonary artery, which leaves the right ventricle and draws blood to the lungs. Another common anomaly - this time in those born with situs inversus totalis - is Kartagener Syndrome, which is characterized by bronchial problems and sterility.

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And have you, the reader, ever heard of this curious condition? Do you know anyone who was born with any variant of situs inversus ? Be sure to tell us in the comments.