Bluegrass Times

There were 21 deaths with cerebrovascular disease listed as the underlying cause reported in Kentucky during the week ending April 23, 2022, a 36.4% decrease from the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending April 23, 2022, there were 535 deaths in the state. 23.7% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 25% were from cancer and 7.1% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 9.5% 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	Deaths in Week Ending April 23, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending April 16, 2022
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	134	121
Heart disease	127	155
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	45	39
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	27	27
Cerebrovascular diseases	21	33
Alzheimer's disease	18	21
Diabetes mellitus	15	21
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	11	10
Influenza and pneumonia	< 10	< 10
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	< 10	15

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending April 23, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending April 16, 2022
Alzheimer disease and dementia	51	66