Cornhusker State News

There were 20 deaths with chronic lower respiratory disease listed as the underlying cause reported in Nebraska during the week ending March 12, a 25% increase over the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending March 12, there were 179 deaths in the state. 18.4% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 16.8% were from cancer and 13.4% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 11.7% 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 12	Deaths in Week Ending March 5
Heart disease	33	59
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	30	55
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	20	16
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	14	28
Cerebrovascular diseases	11	10
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	10	21
Influenza and pneumonia	< 10	< 10
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	< 10	< 10
Diabetes mellitus	< 10	< 10
Alzheimer's disease	< 10	< 10

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending March 12	Deaths in Week Ending March 5
Alzheimer disease and dementia	21	21