Bluegrass Times

There were 52 deaths with chronic lower respiratory disease listed as the underlying cause reported in Kentucky during the week ending Feb. 12, a 48.6 percent increase over the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending Feb. 12, there were 742 deaths in the state. 20.1 percent of deaths were caused by heart disease, 17 percent were from cancer and 43.9 percent were from COVID-19. Additionally, 10.1 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 2022-02-12	Number of Deaths 2022-02-05
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	178	278
Heart disease	149	170
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	148	243
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	126	134
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	52	35
Alzheimer's disease	32	32
Cerebrovascular diseases	27	36
Diabetes mellitus	13	30
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	10	12
Influenza and pneumonia	< 10	< 10

Cause of Death	Number of Deaths 2022-02-12	Number of Deaths 2022-02-05
Alzheimer disease and dementia	75	91