Cornhusker State News

There were 36 deaths with cancer listed as the underlying cause reported in Nebraska during the week ending April 9, 2022, a 23.4% decrease from the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending April 9, 2022, there were 191 deaths in the state. 20.9% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 18.8% were from cancer and less than 5.2% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 14.7% 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 April 9, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending April 2, 2022
Heart disease	40	50
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	36	47
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	14	10
Cerebrovascular diseases	14	< 10
Alzheimer's disease	11	12
Influenza and pneumonia	< 10	< 10
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	< 10	< 10
Diabetes mellitus	< 10	< 10
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	< 10	< 10
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	< 10	10

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending April 9, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending April 2, 2022
Alzheimer disease and dementia	28	24