Old North News

There were 50 deaths with chronic lower respiratory disease listed as the underlying cause reported in North Carolina during the week ending April 16, 2022, a 12.3% decrease from the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending April 16, 2022, there were 807 deaths in the state. 17.6% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 25.3% were from cancer and 2.9% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 9.3% 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 April 16, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending April 9, 2022
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	204	197
Heart disease	142	156
Cerebrovascular diseases	51	56
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	50	57
Alzheimer's disease	31	54
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	23	27
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	16	26
Diabetes mellitus	12	32
Influenza and pneumonia	< 10	< 10
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	< 10	17

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending April 16, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending April 9, 2022
Alzheimer disease and dementia	75	119