Cornhusker State News

There were 18 deaths with chronic lower respiratory disease listed as the underlying cause reported in Nebraska during the week ending Oct. 15, 2022, a 5.9% increase over the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending Oct. 15, 2022, there were 348 deaths in the state. 22.7% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 20.1% were from cancer and 3.4% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 10.9% 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 Oct. 15, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending Oct. 8, 2022
Heart disease	79	77
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	70	77
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	18	17
Cerebrovascular diseases	18	18
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	12	12
Alzheimer's disease	11	19
Influenza and pneumonia	< 10	< 10
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	< 10	< 10
Diabetes mellitus	< 10	< 10
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	< 10	< 10

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending Oct. 15, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending Oct. 8, 2022
Alzheimer disease and dementia	38	43