Old North News

There were 392 deaths with cancer listed as the underlying cause reported in North Carolina during the week ending Sept. 17, 2022, a 6.2% decrease from the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending Sept. 17, 2022, there were 1,957 deaths in the state. 19.9% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 20% were from cancer and 7% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 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 Sept. 17, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending Sept. 10, 2022
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	392	418
Heart disease	389	342
Cerebrovascular diseases	113	104
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	89	105
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	86	93
Alzheimer's disease	65	77
Diabetes mellitus	58	69
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	51	60
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	28	39
Influenza and pneumonia	18	14

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending Sept. 17, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending Sept. 10, 2022
Alzheimer disease and dementia	177	213