Title: How Genetic Disorders Are Inherited
Headings: How Genetic Disorders Are Inherited
How Genetic Disorders Are Inherited
Understanding Patterns of Inheritance
Patterns of Inheritance
Autosomal Dominant
Autosomal Recessive
X-Linked Dominant
X-Linked Recessive
Mitochondrial
Other Inheritance Patterns
Y-Linked Disorders
Codominance

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Patterns of Inheritance
The various patterns of inheritance are attributed to the Austrian scientist Gregor Mendel, who discovered them while working with garden pea hybrids in the 1800s. Mendel sometimes is referred to as the father of modern genetics; likewise, the patterns of inheritance for single-gene diseases are often described as Mendelian. 3 ﻿
According to Mendel's work, there are five distinct patterns of inheritance: autosomal dominant, autosomal recessive, X-linked dominant, X-linked recessive, and mitochondrial. Two primary factors influence the likelihood a person will inherit a genetic disorder: Whether one copy of the mutated gene (from either parent) is passed down or whether two copies (one from both parents) are passed down
Whether the mutation is on one of the sex chromosomes (X or Y) or on one of 22 other pairs of non-sex chromosomes (called autosomes)
Learn How and Why Chromosomal Abnormalities Occur
Autosomal Dominant
In autosomal dominant disorders, only one copy of a mutated gene is necessary and males and females are equally likely to be affected. Children who have a parent who has an autosomal dominant disorder have a 50% risk of inheriting the disorder. Sometimes, however, these disorders result from a new mutation and happen in people with no family history. 4 ﻿ Examples of autosomal dominant disorders include Huntington's disease and Marfan syndrome.