Bluegrass Times

There were 37 deaths with COVID-19 listed as a contributing cause reported in Kentucky in the week ending May 1, making up 4.1 percent of total deaths by all causes in Kentucky, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending May 1, there were 902 deaths in the state. 25.2 percent of deaths were caused by heart disease, 19.6 percent were from cancer and 7.3 percent were from COVID-19. Additionally, 8.6 percent 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	Cause of Death	% of Total Deaths
Heart disease	227	25.2
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	177	19.6
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	58	6.4
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	37	4.1
Cerebrovascular diseases	35	3.9
Diabetes mellitus	32	3.5
Alzheimer's disease	30	3.3
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	29	3.2
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	17	1.9
Influenza and pneumonia	11	1.2

Cause of Death	Cause of Death	% of Total Deaths
Alzheimer disease and dementia	78	8.6