Meaning of Congenital (What it is, Concept and Definition)

What is Congenital:

Congenital is an adjective that refers to all those traits that are connatural in an individual, that have been born with it, that have not been learned. The word, as such, comes from Latin congenitusand is formed with cumwhich means ‘with’, and genitus, ‘begotten’; that is, ‘begotten with’.

In biologycongenital refers to any trait or identity that has been present in an individual since birth, that has been acquired during the gestation period in the mother’s womb, or that has occurred at birth itself.

For the Medicinecongenital diseases or malformations are those innate in an individual, which have occurred during the period of intrauterine development, and which may be a consequence of radiation on the fetus, drugs or infections.

Congenital, genetic and hereditary

Congenital, genetic and hereditary are concepts that are sometimes used as synonyms, although they are not necessarily so.

Congenital It refers to the characteristics with which an individual is born, which are related to the conditions to which it was exposed during its development in the womb.

It genetic, for its part, is related to genes and diseases that are a consequence of alterations in DNA, and that are not necessarily hereditary. A disease like cancer, for example, is genetic, but not hereditary.

hereditary, on the other hand, is any disease that is transmitted from one generation to another, from parents to children, and that are, effectively, a consequence of genetic alterations. For example, baldness.

congenital defect

A congenital defect is known as one that a baby develops during the gestation period in the womb. It can affect the appearance of the body, the functioning of an organ, or both, and can be mild or severe. Most birth defects occur in the first three months of pregnancy. Examples of birth defects are cleft lip or heart defects.