Patent foramen ovale epidemiology and demographics


 * Associate Editors-In-Chief: Priyamvada Singh, M.B.B.S. [mailto:psingh@perfuse.org]; Assistant Editor-In-Chief: Kristin Feeney, B.S. [mailto:kfeeney@perfuse.org]

Overview
Approximately 1 in every three normal adults have a patent foramen ovale. The incidence decreases with increasing age, but the size increases with age. There is no difference in the incidence associated with gender.

Epidemiology and Demographics
The incidence of Patent foramen ovale has been found to be approximately 30% in different studies.

Age
The incidence of a patent foramen ovale varies with age:
 * 0-30 years: 34.3%
 * 40-80 years: 25.4%
 * 90+ years: 20.2%

PFO size increases with age, from a mean of approximately 3mm in the first decade to approximately 6 mm in the 10th decade of life.

Size
The size of patent foramen ovale might ranges from 1 to 19 mm. However, in most cases it has been found to vary from 1 to 10 mm in diameter. PFO size increases with age, from a mean of approximately 3mm in the first decade to approximately 6 mm in the 10th decade of life.

Sex
There is no significant difference in size or incidence associated with gender.