Dominant genetic disorders typically have what kind of risk for recurrence in offspring?

Dominant genetic disorders typically have what kind of risk for recurrence in offspring?

• A. 30%
• B. 50%
• C. 75%
• D. 100%

Answer: (B)

For dominant genetic disorders, each offspring of an affected individual typically has a 50% chance of inheriting the disorder. This is because a single copy of the mutated gene from an affected parent is sufficient to express the trait. If one parent has the dominant disorder and the other parent does not have the gene mutation, the potential combinations for their children are as follows: there is a 50% likelihood that the child will inherit the mutated gene (and thus express the disorder) and a 50% chance that the child will inherit the normal gene and be unaffected.

This understanding of inheritance patterns is based on Mendelian genetics, where dominant traits do not require both genes (one from each parent) to be expressed. Hence, the correct answer reflects the predictable nature of inheritance for dominant disorders and why the recurrence risk is set at 50%.