Disease - Severe Combined Immunodeficiency

Severe Combined Immunodeficiency (SCID) is a group of rare, life-threatening genetic disorders where an infant is born without a functional immune system. Known as "bubble boy disease," it is a pediatric emergency because affected babies cannot fight off common germs. Overview & Pathophysiology

While T cells are always affected, B cells and Natural Killer (NK) cells may also be missing or non-functional depending on the specific genetic mutation.

The name comes from David Vetter, a boy with X-linked SCID who lived for 12 years in a sterile NASA-designed plastic bubble. Diagnosis & Symptoms

Infants often appear because they are temporarily protected by maternal antibodies. Signs usually emerge within the first few months: Severe Combined Immunodeficiency - StatPearls - NCBI - NIH

SCID is characterized by the absence or severe deficiency of T cells , which are essential for coordinating the immune response.