What Is Dextrocardia, The Rare Congenital Heart Condition That Ailed Catherine O’Hara?

Catherine O’Hara, Canadian-born comic actor who starred as Macaulay Culkin’s harried mother in two Home Alone movies and won an Emmy as the dramatically ditzy wealthy matriarch Moira Rose in Schitt’s Creek, died Friday. She was 71. According to reports, O'Hara was rushed to a hospital in Los Angeles in a “serious” condition, where she later died.

While the official cause of O'Hara's death hasn’t been revealed, the actor's health issues are well-documented. She had a rare congenital heart condition called dextrocardia with situs inversus. Her heart was located on the right side of the chest instead of the left side. Her other major organs were also in a mirror-image position.

Also read: Not Schitt's Creek, Catherine O'Hara Wanted To Be Remembered For This Role

What is Dextrocardia?

Dextrocardia is a change in how your heart is positioned in your chest. It occurs in about 1 in every 12,000 pregnancies. It means your heart is on the right side of your chest and points to the right. This makes it a mirror image of a typical heart. Dextrocardia is a congenital heart defect, meaning you’re born with it.

Also read: Catherine O’Hara, Home Alone And Schitt's Creek Star, Dies At 71 After Brief Illness

On its own, dextrocardia isn’t serious. It doesn’t cause symptoms or complications. And it doesn’t need treatment. But many people with dextrocardia are also born with other conditions. And those conditions may cause problems that need medical attention or they may prove to be serious, and in some conditions even fatal.

What causes Dextrocardia?

Gene changes that happen early in pregnancy cause dextrocardia. More than 60 genes play a role in how your organs are positioned in your body. Researchers are still looking for the specific gene that causes dextrocardia.

Symptoms of Dextrocardia

Dextrocardia can occur along with other heart defects or genetic disorders. These conditions often cause the following signs and symptoms:

– Extreme tiredness
– Frequent lung or sinus infections
– Getting very tired or out of breath during physical activity
– Irregular heartbeat
– Skin that looks blue
– Skin that looks pale
– Skin and eyes that look yellow
– Trouble breathing or fast breathing
– Trouble gaining weight and growing
– Wet cough