Tubular Sclerosis (TSC): Causes, Symptoms & Understanding

Tubular sclerosis, also called tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC), is a disease that affects one out of every 6,000 people. It causes benign tumors to grow on different organs, including the brain and kidneys.

Cause

• TSC is caused by a mutation in the TSC1 or TSC2 gene. These genes control the rate that cells grow. A mutation in either of these genes means cells may divide too rapidly.

Inherited or New

• The mutation can be inherited from a parent who has the disease or it can be a new mutation of the TSC1 or TSC2 gene.

Statistics

• Two thirds of people with TSC develop it as a new mutation in the gene while only one third inherit the disease, according to the Mayo Clinic.

Probability

• A parent who has TSC has a fifty percent chance of passing on the mutated gene. The severity of the disease in the child does not depend on the severity of the disease in the parent.

Consideration

• TSC can develop through a process called gonadal mosaicism in which a mutation occurs because either the sperm or the egg carries the mutated gene even though the parent doesn't have TSC, according to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke.