A heart defect that affects 25% of the population can cause strokes?

(Dan Tri) - Patent foramen ovale is a heart defect that affects 25% of the population. In some cases, it is the cause of stroke in young people.

A young Vietnamese woman living peacefully in Wellington, New Zealand, suddenly suffered a stroke one day. Luckily, she did not suffer from serious consequences such as paralysis or loss of mobility.

However, what doctors were most concerned about was the cause of this health incident. After a thorough examination, they discovered an unusual detail: she had a patent foramen ovale in her heart. This is a congenital defect that can silently endanger health.

To confirm, the doctors performed a transesophageal echocardiogram, combined with the Valsalva maneuver and contrast agents. The results were as expected, they saw small air bubbles leaking from the right side of the heart to the left side. This was a sure sign that the foramen ovale needed to be closed immediately to prevent the risk of recurrence.

However, the cost of this procedure in New Zealand is up to 45,000 NZD, equivalent to about 700 million VND, a huge amount for a Vietnamese girl who has not been covered by insurance.

Thanks to the recommendation of a doctor in New Zealand, the young woman decided to return to Vietnam to have the procedure performed at a more reasonable cost.

"At Hanoi Medical University Hospital, the procedure only lasted 30 minutes. Everything went smoothly, without any problems. Now, the girl has been discharged and is ready to return to New Zealand," Associate Professor, Dr. Nguyen Lan Hieu, Director of Hanoi Medical University Hospital, shared.

What is the foramen ovale?

Every day, Associate Professor Nguyen Lan Hieu receives many stroke patients, most of whom still lack basic screening. One of them is screening for the presence of a patent foramen ovale (PFO) to rule out cerebral infarction due to paradoxical occlusion in young people.

According to the expert, PFO is a condition in which the heart has a small hole between the two chambers of the heart. Normally, the heart consists of two chambers, the left (red blood) and the right (black blood), with a septum in between to prevent the red and black blood from mixing.

In the fetus, this septum is usually open because the lungs are not breathing yet, the fetus's blood is always mixed and supplied from the mother. At birth, most of these septums close, and we have a complete heart. In some cases, the septum does not close completely, creating a foramen ovale between the two chambers of the heart.

People with PFO can have a stroke if a blood clot from the black chamber passes through the PFO hole and travels to the brain. This is one of the causes of stroke in young people that needs attention.

Foramen ovale between the two heart chambers of a patient. (Photo: BSCC).

Sharing more, Associate Professor, Dr. Nguyen Huy Thang, Vice President of the Vietnam Stroke Association, this condition often does not cause obvious symptoms and many people live their whole lives without knowing they have PFO. PFO is often only discovered by chance through echocardiography or when it has caused a stroke.

Associate Professor Thang cited that the prevalence of PFO in the population according to reliable medical sources is about 20-25% of the adult population. This means that about 25% of the normal population has PFO holes and most of them do not cause any problems. More than 95% of people with PFO do not have complications and do not need intervention.

When should I get screened for PFO?

Most cases of PFO usually do not require treatment. However, according to the two experts, patients need to be intervened when they have had a stroke and the cause is determined to be PFO.

According to Associate Professor Thang, PFO is not a common cause of stroke in the general population.

"Over 85% of stroke patients are elderly. In this group, if the cause of the blood clot is suspected from the heart, doctors often look for atrial fibrillation instead of PFO," Dr. Thang explained.

The expert emphasized that normal people who have never had a stroke should not, out of worry, go for PFO screening on their own.

Currently, it is recommended to screen for PFO when there are 3 factors: the patient has had a stroke; the stroke patient is young, under 45 years old; and the appropriate cause of the stroke cannot be found.

"In cases where the patient has a stroke at a young age (under 45 years old) and no risk factors are recorded, the cause from the foramen ovale can account for up to 40%," the doctor said.

Sharing more, Associate Professor Nguyen Lan Hieu said that Vietnam does not have national statistics on the rate of stroke in young people (under 45 years old). However, reports from many major medical centers indicate that this number is showing a clear increasing trend.

"In particular, there are reports estimating up to 1/3 of all patients have had a stroke. If true, this is truly a 'terrifying' number because it greatly affects social life. A young person of working age who is bedridden not only affects himself but is also a burden for his family and society," the doctor said.

According to newly published data in 2025, the incidence of new strokes in Vietnam tends to increase with about 222,000 new stroke cases each year. The incidence rate is about 222 cases/100,000 people and the prevalence rate of stroke is 1,500 cases/100,000 people.

In addition, the age of stroke is also getting younger. Studies show that the average age of stroke in Vietnam is 62. This number is about 10 years younger than the average in developed countries.

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/suc-khoe/mot-di-tat-o-tim-25-dan-so-mac-phai-co-the-gay-dot-quy-20250919112223563.htm