Cornhusker State News

There were 49 deaths with heart disease listed as the underlying cause reported in Nebraska during the week ending March 5, no changes from the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending March 5, there were 230 deaths in the state. 21.3% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 23% were from cancer and 18.3% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 8.3% 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 March 5	Deaths in Week Ending Feb. 26
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	53	39
Heart disease	49	49
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	24	27
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	18	17
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	16	19
Influenza and pneumonia	< 10	< 10
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	< 10	< 10
Diabetes mellitus	< 10	12
Alzheimer's disease	< 10	10
Cerebrovascular diseases	< 10	20

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending March 5	Deaths in Week Ending Feb. 26
Alzheimer disease and dementia	19	26