When PFO is mentioned, very few people can say that they’ve heard about it or that they have this condition. Simply put, PFO or patent foramen ovale is an abnormal condition in which there is a small opening between the 2 upper chambers of the heart, the right and the left atrium. It is caused by the foramen ovale failing to close. In reality, people have PFO from birth, but they are unaware about it because there are no shown symptoms.
Warning Signs of Patent Foramen Ovale (PFO)

Even though most people with this condition do not experience any symptom, whenever blood clots from the right atrium flows to the left atrium and then enters the brain, PFO can produce such symptoms as these:

-   Dizziness, vertigo, swaying and loss of balance.

-   Bell’s palsy or incoherent speech.
-   Numbness and weakness in the limbs.

-   Blurred or unclear vision.
-   Inability to move parts of the body (paralysis).

Migraine and fatigue are additional signs of PFO.

Dr. Amorn Jongstapongpan, Cardiologist at Phyathai 2 Hospital, gave an explanation about the symptoms of PFO that most patients arrive with recurrent ischemic stroke, and some cases come in with migraine symptoms. That is, they have recurrent headaches. Some also have major leaks in their foramen ovale, so they can experience fatigue while exercising.

Are you really just more easily tired than normal?

When you talk about fatigue symptoms, ordinary people might group them all together. For the New York Heart Association Functional Classification, however, there are 4 different levels of fatigue symptoms as follows:

Level 1: A person can exercise without restriction, i.e., like ordinary people.

Level 2: When a person exercises, the person might experience some fatigue, but the person will not feel fatigue or panting if the person is at rest.

Level 3: When a person performs only a minor exercise, the person experiences fatigue, but the person experiences no fatigue when at rest.

Level 4: The person cannot exercise and can experience fatigue even while at rest, and fatigue symptoms worsen with increased physical activity.
This test can let you know whether or not you have patent foramen ovale (PFO)!

For people who experiences an abnormal level of fatigue while exercising and who are not sure whether or not they have PFO, a diagnostic screening for PFO can be performed by use of microbubbles. These bubbles can be injected intravenously, and then the patient will be instructed to try to exhale to let the doctors know if any the microbubbles travel from the right atrium into the left atrium. If you experience chronic headaches that keep recurring or weakness in your limbs or that you are always abnormally tired when exercising, do not hesitate! You should consult a doctor for a thorough screening, because, no matter how old you are, there can always be danger from various (deadly) diseases.