Old North News

There were 52 deaths with chronic lower respiratory disease listed as the underlying cause reported in North Carolina during the week ending April 9, 2022, a 20.9% increase over the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending April 9, 2022, there were 835 deaths in the state. 16.3% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 21.9% were from cancer and 4.7% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 12% 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 April 9, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending April 2, 2022
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	183	218
Heart disease	136	153
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	52	43
Cerebrovascular diseases	51	59
Alzheimer's disease	47	38
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	24	14
Diabetes mellitus	24	16
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	24	34
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	15	16
Influenza and pneumonia	< 10	12

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending April 9, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending April 2, 2022
Alzheimer disease and dementia	100	95