We usually say our daughter has CAH or an adrenal gland condition (as most people won’t know what CAH is anyway). If someone asks why she’s wearing the Medic Alert bracelet, that is the answer. With strangers, there’s no reason to go into detail. Among friends and family, we give a deeper explanation: that her adrenal gland doesn’t work properly. When the average person gets sick, their adrenal gland produces cortisol which the body needs to fight the stress of illness. Her adrenal glands don’t work properly, so she takes medicine to replace the cortisol that her body doesn’t make. She is also a salt-waster--I explain that her body doesn’t retain salt, so she takes a salt replacement and has to watch out for dehydration a bit more than others. With friends I have explained the need for injection, and that she would require immediate attention if she broke a bone or becomes sick and unable to keep down her meds. You really have to decide what you feel ok telling people, and while you’re doing it--think about how your child will feel as they grow up and have to live with that.  It took me over a year to tell my best friends that it is life threatening.  My husband and I have also compared CAH to diabetes as someone else mentioned--as long as she takes her medication, she’s just like any other child. I personally don’t like the term "disease".