Cornhusker State News

There were less than 10 deaths with cerebrovascular disease listed as the underlying cause reported in Nebraska during the week ending June 5, a decrease from the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending June 5, there were 298 deaths in the state. 23.5 percent of deaths were caused by heart disease and 17.4 percent were from cancer Additionally, 12.4 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 2021-06-05	Number of Deaths 2021-05-29
Heart disease	70	59
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	52	76
Alzheimer's disease	17	13
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	14	17
Influenza and pneumonia	10	< 10
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	< 10	10
Diabetes mellitus	< 10	14
Cerebrovascular diseases	< 10	13
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	< 10	< 10
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	0	< 10

Cause of Death	Number of Deaths 2021-06-05	Number of Deaths 2021-05-29
Alzheimer disease and dementia	37	32