Bluegrass Times

There were 156 deaths with heart disease listed as the underlying cause reported in Kentucky during the week ending Aug. 20, 2022, a 16.6% decrease from the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending Aug. 20, 2022, there were 828 deaths in the state. 18.8% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 23.2% were from cancer and 11.6% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 8.9% 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 Aug. 20, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending Aug. 13, 2022
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	192	189
Heart disease	156	187
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	62	88
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	53	43
Cerebrovascular diseases	38	44
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	34	62
Diabetes mellitus	32	20
Alzheimer's disease	22	23
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	19	20
Influenza and pneumonia	< 10	< 10

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending Aug. 20, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending Aug. 13, 2022
Alzheimer disease and dementia	74	77