Bluegrass Times

There were 35 deaths with chronic lower respiratory disease listed as the underlying cause reported in Kentucky during the week ending Feb. 19, a 36.4 percent decrease from the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending Feb. 19, there were 622 deaths in the state. 19.9 percent of deaths were caused by heart disease, 15.8 percent were from cancer and 47.4 percent were from COVID-19. Additionally, 8.4 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 2022-02-19	Number of Deaths 2022-02-12
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	162	208
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	133	175
Heart disease	124	172
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	98	147
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	35	55
Cerebrovascular diseases	27	30
Alzheimer's disease	19	36
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	15	11
Diabetes mellitus	12	15
Influenza and pneumonia	< 10	10

Cause of Death	Number of Deaths 2022-02-19	Number of Deaths 2022-02-12
Alzheimer disease and dementia	52	88