But medical information is always changing, and some information given here may be out of date. For regularly updated information on a variety of health topics, please visit familydoctor.org , the AAFP patient education Web site. An article on this topic is available in this issue of AFP .
Tuberous sclerosis causes growths in the brain, eyes, heart, kidney, skin or lungs.
The first signs may be seizures and spots on the skin. People in the same family who have tuberous sclerosis may have no learning problems or mild learning problems, or they may have serious learning problems, with seizures that are hard to control. Tuberous sclerosis isn't common, but it isn't rare either. Up to 40,000 people in the United States have it. The disorder occurs in both sexes and in people of all races and ethnic groups.