A third center, Northwestern Alzheimer's Disease Center was added through legislation in 1997 and also serves the greater Chicago area. The Center was designated by the National Parkinson Foundation in 1999 as a Parkinson Disease Center of Excellence .
Alzheimer disease is a progressive, degenerative disease.
It causes abnormal proteins to accumulate in and around nerve cells throughout the brain, causing them to die. Loss of nerve cells results in memory loss, impaired thinking and behavior, and finally, death. Alzheimer disease affects an estimated 4 million Americans, most over the age of 65, but a few in their 40s and 50s. Patients with Alzheimer disease may live 2-20 years after contracting the disease, and in the final stages of the illness, they lose all abilities to care for themselves. Although many cases of Alzheimer disease are hereditary, the precise cause of this illness is unknown.