Old North News

There were 244 deaths with heart disease listed as the underlying cause reported in North Carolina during the week ending May 7, 2022, a 15.6% decrease from the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending May 7, 2022, there were 1,314 deaths in the state. 18.6% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 20.3% were from cancer and 3.4% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 10.9% 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 May 7, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending April 30, 2022
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	267	306
Heart disease	244	289
Cerebrovascular diseases	97	105
Alzheimer's disease	66	71
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	63	73
Diabetes mellitus	39	46
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	28	34
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	20	21
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	17	17
Influenza and pneumonia	10	16

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending May 7, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending April 30, 2022
Alzheimer disease and dementia	143	171