Old North News

There were 32 deaths with Alzheimer's disease listed as the underlying cause reported in North Carolina during the week ending March 26, 2022, a 40.7% decrease from the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending March 26, 2022, there were 738 deaths in the state. 15.4% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 24.1% were from cancer and 8.3% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 9.5% 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 26, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending March 19, 2022
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	178	186
Heart disease	114	144
Cerebrovascular diseases	51	63
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	44	35
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	39	76
Alzheimer's disease	32	54
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	22	49
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	16	< 10
Diabetes mellitus	11	< 10
Influenza and pneumonia	< 10	< 10

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending March 26, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending March 19, 2022
Alzheimer disease and dementia	70	115