Bluegrass Times

There were 37 deaths with cerebrovascular disease listed as the underlying cause reported in Kentucky during the week ending September 18, a 15.9 percent decrease from the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending September 18, there were 1,286 deaths in the state. 14.1 percent of deaths were caused by heart disease, 16.4 percent were from cancer and 61.9 percent were from COVID-19. Additionally, 6.6 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	Number of Deaths 2021-09-18	Number of Deaths 2021-09-11
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	411	359
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	385	334
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	211	188
Heart disease	181	215
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	51	52
Diabetes mellitus	38	29
Cerebrovascular diseases	37	44
Alzheimer's disease	35	38
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	21	31
Influenza and pneumonia	< 10	12

Cause of Death	Number of Deaths 2021-09-18	Number of Deaths 2021-09-11
Alzheimer disease and dementia	85	102