• Major organs can be reversed or mirrored from their normal positionshuman image by Byron Moore from Fotolia.com
  
  Situs inversus is a congenital condition where the organs in the chest and abdomen are located in the opposite position to where they would normally be found. Situs inversus is estimated to occur once in every 6,000 to 8,000 births.
  
  Situs inversus complications occur infrequently but can include heart disease, lung complications and problems with organ donation as well as misdiagnosis of common ailments and conditions.
  
  

Heart Disease

• A small percentage of individuals with Situs inversus additionally have congenital heart disease, notes the Office of Rare Diseases Research Center at the National Institutes of Health. Speaking to ABC news, Dr. Alfred Nicolosi, a cardiothoracic surgeon at Milwaukee's Froedtert & Medical College of Wisconsin, stated that the majority of patients with Situs inversus "Really don't have any real problem from it. It's just everything inside is backwards."
  
  

Primary Ciliary Dyskinesia

• Medical professionals estimate that some people with Situs inversus have an underlying condition called primary ciliary dyskinesia. This condition is related to the positioning of cilia, the tiny hairs found inside the lungs that offer protection from infection by filtering out dust and other particles found in the air. Individuals with Situs inversus may experience a dysfunction of the cilia which impairs normal movement of these hair-like structures, resulting in increased mucus in the lungs. This can lead to respiratory infections as well as a higher risk of developing chronic sinus infections.
  
  

Organ Donation

• Situs inversus can cause complications when it comes to organ donation. As Situs inversus is a rare condition, most donor organs come from individuals whose organs are found in the usual position.
  
  If a person with Situs inversus requires an organ transplant, the process can be complicated by the practical consideration of placing an organ into a cavity which is exactly the opposite shape and with the opposite orientation of blood vessels.
  
  

Misdiagnoses

• Having organs in the opposite position of where they would usually be located can lead to misdiagnosis of ailments and common conditions with location specific symptoms, such as appendicitis, because the symptoms will be on the "wrong" side for someone with Situs inversus.
  
  It is imperative for individuals with Situs inversus to make any medical workers they deal with aware of their unusual anatomical positioning. Some individuals with Situs inversus wear a medical identification tag informing responders that the patient has Situs inversus.