CHICAGO, March 31, 2015 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Northwestern Medicine® recently launched a multidisciplinary center dedicated to the comprehensive treatment of patients battling Huntington’s disease. The new center will focus on both patient care and research of the inherited disease that causes the progressive breakdown of nerve cells in the brain.
“The very complex nature of Huntington’s requires a collaboration of top experts in the fields of neurology, psychiatry, genetics, social work and more,” said Tanya Simuni, MD, director of the Northwestern Medicine Parkinson’s Disease and Movement Disorders Center. “We have those people and that collaboration at Northwestern Medicine. We also have scientists at the forefront of Huntington’s disease research. This comprehensive center offers participation in clinical trials, which is an important step in improving the quality of life for patients with Huntington’s disease and one day finding a cure.”
In the United States, about 30,000 people have Huntington’s disease. For these patients, brain cells, or neurons, in certain areas of the brain start to break down. As the neurons degenerate, the disease can lead to emotional disturbances, loss of intellectual abilities and uncontrolled movement. A parent with Huntington disease has a 50 percent chance of passing the disease on to their child. A blood test can determine if someone has the gene and will develop the disease. There is no cure for Huntington’s disease and while medicine can help manage some of the symptoms, it cannot slow down or stop the disease.
“With this new center our goal is to improve the quality of care for patients in every stage of this disease,” said Danny Bega, MD, director of the Huntington’s Disease clinic at Northwestern Memorial Hospital and Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. “While there is no cure for Huntington’s, our team of experts work with patients to cope with the emotional challenges of living with Huntington’s while also finding the best medications to treat symptoms. We provide support for not only those dealing with the disease but also their families and loved ones.”
For more information on the Northwestern Medicine Huntington’s Disease Center, click here. To make an appointment, please call (312) 695-7950.
About Northwestern Memorial HealthCare
Northwestern Memorial HealthCare (NMHC) is an academic health delivery system whose entities operate as Northwestern Medicine®. NMHC consists of 60 sites of outpatient care services throughout Chicago and Illinois’ northern and western suburban regions, including four hospitals; Northwestern Lake Forest Hospital in Lake Forest, Central DuPage Hospital in Winfield, Delnor Hospital in Geneva and its flagship Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago, which is rated No. 1 in Chicago and Illinois, as well as 10th in the nation according to the U.S. News & World Report 2014-2015 Honor Roll of America’s Best Hospitals. Additionally, the health system includes Northwestern Medical Group, more than 1,000 physicians who hold faculty appointments at NMHC Northwestern Medicine partner Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine; Cadence Physician Group, a local network of more than 250 primary care physicians and specialists on the medical staffs at Central DuPage Hospital and Delnor Hospital; and approximately 2,800 affiliated physicians.
About Northwestern Medicine®
Northwestern Medicine, anchored in downtown Chicago, joins the Northwestern Medicine Health System and Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine in a shared vision to transform healthcare and positively impact people’s lives through clinical innovation, educational excellence and breakthrough research.
In Chicago and its northern and western suburbs, Northwestern Medicine provides care through four hospitals and across 60 ambulatory sites that respond to the growing demand for quality healthcare close to where people live and work. A combined health system and medical school workforce of more than 25,000 works to advance Northwestern Medicine with a focus on quality, innovation and excellence. More than 600,000 patients are now served by the health system through primary, specialty and hospital-based care. With a strong commitment to community, the health system contributed more than $565 million in community benefit last year.
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SOURCE Northwestern Medicine
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