Bluegrass Times

There were 73 deaths from chronic lower respiratory diseases reported in Kentucky in the week ending August 7, making up 7.1 percent of total deaths by all causes in Kentucky, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending August 7, there were 1,030 deaths in the state. 20.8 percent of deaths were caused by heart disease, 17.9 percent were from cancer and 15.9 percent were from COVID-19. Additionally, 6.7 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	214	20.8
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	184	17.9
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	88	8.5
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	76	7.4
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	73	7.1
Cerebrovascular diseases	50	4.9
Diabetes mellitus	35	3.4
Alzheimer's disease	28	2.7
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	23	2.2
Influenza and pneumonia	19	1.8

Cause of Death	Cause of Death	% of Total Deaths
Alzheimer disease and dementia	69	6.7