Old North News

There were 30 deaths with chronic lower respiratory disease listed as the underlying cause reported in North Carolina during the week ending March 19, 2022, a 34.8% decrease from the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending March 19, 2022, there were 797 deaths in the state. 16.6% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 21.5% were from cancer and 10.3% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 13.3% 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 19, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending March 12, 2022
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	171	161
Heart disease	132	131
Cerebrovascular diseases	58	53
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	51	68
Alzheimer's disease	50	50
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	31	38
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	30	46
Influenza and pneumonia	< 10	< 10
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	< 10	18
Diabetes mellitus	< 10	13

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending March 19, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending March 12, 2022
Alzheimer disease and dementia	106	102