Bluegrass Times

There were 46 deaths with chronic lower respiratory disease listed as the underlying cause reported in Kentucky during the week ending September 25, a 16.4 percent decrease from the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending September 25, there were 1,314 deaths in the state. 16.1 percent of deaths were caused by heart disease, 15.9 percent were from cancer and 59.7 percent were from COVID-19. Additionally, 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	Number of Deaths 2021-09-25	Number of Deaths 2021-09-18
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	405	415
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	380	389
Heart disease	212	188
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	209	212
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	46	55
Diabetes mellitus	35	40
Cerebrovascular diseases	29	37
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	26	22
Alzheimer's disease	26	35
Influenza and pneumonia	11	< 10

Cause of Death	Number of Deaths 2021-09-25	Number of Deaths 2021-09-18
Alzheimer disease and dementia	92	86