Cornhusker State News

There were 13 deaths with chronic lower respiratory disease listed as the underlying cause reported in Nebraska during the week ending July 23, 2022, a 18.8% decrease from the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending July 23, 2022, there were 259 deaths in the state. 15.8% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 23.2% were from cancer and 5.4% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 12% 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 July 23, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending July 16, 2022
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	60	52
Heart disease	41	65
Cerebrovascular diseases	18	11
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	14	< 10
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	13	16
Alzheimer's disease	10	14
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	< 10	< 10
Diabetes mellitus	< 10	10
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	< 10	< 10
Influenza and pneumonia	0	0

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending July 23, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending July 16, 2022
Alzheimer disease and dementia	31	33