Announcing Thursday that he has Parkinson's disease and Lewy body dementia, former Utah Jazz coach Jerry Sloan joined public figures like Michael J. Fox, Muhammad Ali and the late Robin Williams in fighting the progressive illnesses for which there is no cure.
While Parkinson's predominantly affects motor control, resulting in slowed movement, rigid muscles, impaired balance and tremors, Lewy body dementia attacks a patient's cognitive ability, leading to visual hallucinations, depression, sleeping disorders and memory loss.
"We do know that the prognosis is worse for Lewy body dementia," said Denise Skuster, a neurologist with Intermountain Healthcare's Salt Lake Clinic. "It's a more widespread pathological process in the brain."