Bluegrass Times

There were 17 deaths with nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis listed as the underlying cause reported in Kentucky during the week ending July 30, 2022, a 10.5% decrease from the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending July 30, 2022, there were 855 deaths in the state. 20.6% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 19.5% were from cancer and 14.3% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 9.9% 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 July 30, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending July 23, 2022
Heart disease	176	213
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	167	205
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	74	72
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	48	43
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	39	61
Cerebrovascular diseases	35	35
Alzheimer's disease	33	22
Diabetes mellitus	26	20
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	17	19
Influenza and pneumonia	< 10	11

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending July 30, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending July 23, 2022
Alzheimer disease and dementia	85	66