What causes tuberous sclerosis?
Tuberous sclerosis is inherited as an autosomal dominant trait although a high percentage of cases are due to new mutations, so there usually is no family history of the disease. It is one of a group of diseases described as neurocutaneous syndromes because of extensive involvement of both the skin and the central nervous system (brain and/or spinal cord). The symptoms of tuberous sclerosis, however, vary considerably from minimally affected people with normal intelligence and no seizures to severely affected people with profound retardation and frequent, difficult-to-control seizures or serious tumors. People of all races and sex may be affected. The condition may become apparent any time from infancy to adulthood but usually occurs between 2-6 years of age.
