Old North News

There were 98 deaths with chronic lower respiratory disease listed as the underlying cause reported in North Carolina during the week ending June 25, 2022, a 32.4% increase over the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending June 25, 2022, there were 1,710 deaths in the state. 20.5% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 22.1% were from cancer and 7.6% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 9.9% 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 June 25, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending June 18, 2022
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	378	373
Heart disease	351	380
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	98	74
Cerebrovascular diseases	94	110
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	73	61
Diabetes mellitus	64	50
Alzheimer's disease	62	69
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	57	39
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	35	37
Influenza and pneumonia	22	17

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending June 25, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending June 18, 2022
Alzheimer disease and dementia	170	165