Congenital for Dummies

Congenital is a word that describes something that a person is born with. It means that it is present at birth, even before a person comes into the world. Just like how all the features and traits we inherit from our parents are already present in us the moment we are born, the same way we can have certain conditions or characteristics that are present in us from the very beginning. These conditions or characteristics can affect different parts of our body, such as our organs, bones, muscles, or the way our brain functions.

Think about it this way: Imagine you are given a brand new phone. It is an amazing device, but it already has some pre-installed features and apps on it. These features are there from the moment you open the box and turn on the phone. Similarly, when a person is born, they already have certain features or conditions built-in, just like the pre-installed features on a phone.

Congenital can also describe something that is passed down from parents to their children through their genes. We have genes inside our bodies that determine many aspects of who we are. Some of these genes are responsible for passing on certain conditions or characteristics from one generation to the next. So, if someone has a condition that is congenital, it means that their parents or ancestors also had that condition, and it was passed down to them.

Imagine you have a family recipe that has been handed down from generation to generation. The recipe stays in the family and gets passed on to your parents, and now they have passed it on to you. Similarly, certain conditions or characteristics can be passed down through our genes from our parents and ancestors, and these are called congenital conditions or characteristics.

So overall, congenital means something that is present in a person right from birth, either because it developed before they were born or because it was passed down to them through their genes.