Causes for Natural Killer Cell Deficiency

Natural killer (NK) cell deficiency is a genetic disorder that is passed down from parents to their children. Currently, five different genes have been shown to cause NK cell deficiency. Each of these genes is passed down as an autosomal recessive trait. In other words, the patient must inherit one mutated gene from each parent in order to develop the disorder. Individuals who only have one mutated gene and do not experience symptoms are called carriers.

Carriers have a 50% chance of passing the abnormal gene to each of their children. If both parents are carriers of the gene, there is a 25% chance that each of their children will inherit the disease and a 50% chance that each of their children will be a carrier.

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