Old North News

There were 17 deaths with nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis listed as the underlying cause reported in North Carolina during the week ending March 12, no changes from the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending March 12, there were 836 deaths in the state. 15% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 19.1% were from cancer and 11.7% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 12.1% 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	Deaths in Week Ending March 12	Deaths in Week Ending March 5
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	160	177
Heart disease	125	158
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	64	82
Cerebrovascular diseases	53	55
Alzheimer's disease	49	50
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	45	42
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	34	61
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	17	17
Diabetes mellitus	12	18
Influenza and pneumonia	< 10	< 10

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending March 12	Deaths in Week Ending March 5
Alzheimer disease and dementia	101	96