Bluegrass Times

There were 20 deaths with nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis listed as the underlying cause reported in Kentucky during the week ending Aug. 13, 2022, a 25% increase over the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending Aug. 13, 2022, there were 847 deaths in the state. 21.1% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 21.1% were from cancer and 17.2% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 8.5% 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 Aug. 13, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending Aug. 6, 2022
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	179	211
Heart disease	179	224
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	86	64
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	60	39
Cerebrovascular diseases	43	36
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	41	58
Alzheimer's disease	23	24
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	20	16
Diabetes mellitus	19	28
Influenza and pneumonia	< 10	16

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending Aug. 13, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending Aug. 6, 2022
Alzheimer disease and dementia	72	75