Cornhusker State News

There were 51 deaths with heart disease listed as the underlying cause reported in Nebraska during the week ending March 19, 2022, a 21.4% increase over the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending March 19, 2022, there were 230 deaths in the state. 22.2% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 22.6% were from cancer and 4.3% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 13.5% 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 March 19, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending March 12, 2022
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	52	36
Heart disease	51	42
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	16	20
Cerebrovascular diseases	13	12
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	10	19
Influenza and pneumonia	< 10	< 10
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	< 10	< 10
Diabetes mellitus	< 10	< 10
Alzheimer's disease	< 10	< 10
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	< 10	14

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending March 19, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending March 12, 2022
Alzheimer disease and dementia	31	21