BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – UAB (University of Alabama at Birmingham) will open the first clinic in the southeast dedicated to treating a rare genetic condition known as tuberous sclerosis (TS). The clinic will serve patients from Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana and Arkansas. There are an estimated 700 TS patients in Alabama alone.

Tuberous sclerosis is a genetic disorder that causes tumors to form in many different organs, primarily in the brain, eyes, heart, kidney, skin and lungs. It is estimated that there are 50,000 individuals in the United States and more than one million worldwide with TS. It occurs in both sexes and in all races and ethnic groups.

“Because TS is a lifelong condition and can affect multiple family members and generations we have structured the clinic to provide services throughout an individual’s life,” said clinic director Martina Bebin, M.D., associate professor of neurology at UAB. “We will rely on the collaborative efforts of the UAB subspecialists who will be coordinating each patient’s care and working with each patient’s primary care physician.”

The clinic, which offers a fully integrated, multi-disciplinary approach to treating TS patients for total, lifelong care, is a collaboration between UAB and Children’s Hospital of Alabama. The clinic will provide patient services and genetic counseling for both children and adults with TS. Subspecialties involved in TS care include genetics, neurology, cardiology, dermatology, ophthalmology, pulmonology, nephrology, neurosurgery, psychology, psychiatry and urology.

The disease affects some people severely, while others are so mildly affected that it can go undiagnosed. Some people with tuberous sclerosis experience developmental delay, mental retardation and autism.

The TS clinic will be held in the genetics clinic in the Hugh Kaul Genetics Building, 720 20th St. South and will meet on a monthly basis beginning in April 2007.

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