Tuberous Sclerosis Complex

Tuberous sclerosis complex is a genetic disorder caused by mutations in either the TSC1 or TSC2 gene, which normally help restrain cell growth, and whose loss allows benign tumors to form in many organs including the brain, skin, kidneys, heart and lungs. It commonly causes seizures, developmental delay and distinctive skin findings such as facial angiofibromas, though the severity of symptoms varies enormously between affected individuals, even within the same family. French physician Desire-Magloire Bourneville first described the brain lesions characteristic of the disorder in 1880, and the disease was known by his name for many years afterward.