Rare diseases · Sign or symptom

Absent natural killer cells

HP:0040219

What it means

Absence of detectable circulating NK cells, commonly characterized as CD3-CD19- and CD16+ or CD56+ lymphocytes, in the blood. Usually, less than 20 cells per microlitre is considered to be an absence.

Rare diseases that can present with this1

The range is how often this sign appears among people diagnosed with each disease — it is not a probability of having any of them. Many of these signs also occur in common, non-rare conditions. A sign on this page is a conversation to have with a clinician, not a conclusion.

Part of the broader category

Also called: Absent NK cells

Absent natural killer cells

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This page uses the Human Phenotype Ontology (2026-06-23) — Human Phenotype Ontology Consortium, hpo.jax.org. Disease associations from Orphanet (INSERM), CC BY 4.0. Content is educational and is not medical advice.