Old North News

There were 19 deaths with influenza and pneumonia listed as the underlying cause reported in North Carolina during the week ending July 9, 2022, a 5.6% increase over the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending July 9, 2022, there were 1,682 deaths in the state. 20.3% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 21.5% were from cancer and 7.5% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 11.1% 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 July 9, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending July 2, 2022
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	361	354
Heart disease	341	344
Cerebrovascular diseases	106	93
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	85	92
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	74	76
Alzheimer's disease	68	73
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	52	49
Diabetes mellitus	51	68
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	30	31
Influenza and pneumonia	19	18

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending July 9, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending July 2, 2022
Alzheimer disease and dementia	187	188