Old North News

There were 11 deaths with nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis listed as the underlying cause reported in North Carolina during the week ending November 6, an increase over the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending November 6, there were 978 deaths in the state. 14 percent of deaths were caused by heart disease, 16.7 percent were from cancer and 31.5 percent were from COVID-19. Additionally, 9.2 percent of deaths were from Alzheimer's disease and dementia.

Studies show doctors and medical examiners may underreport Alzheimer's disease and dementia-related conditions as the underlying cause of death on death certificates, according to the National Institute on Aging.

Once infected, older adults with dementia are likely to develop a more severe and dangerous illness. The diseases which make an older adult more vulnerable to COVID-19 are age-associated chronic conditions, according to the Bright Focus Foundation.

Cause of Death	Number of Deaths 2021-11-06	Number of Deaths 2021-10-30
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	163	146
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	158	214
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	150	201
Heart disease	137	149
Cerebrovascular diseases	50	45
Alzheimer's disease	38	37
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	29	27
Diabetes mellitus	23	25
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	11	< 10
Influenza and pneumonia	< 10	< 10

Cause of Death	Number of Deaths 2021-11-06	Number of Deaths 2021-10-30
Alzheimer disease and dementia	90	97