Cornhusker State News

There were 72 deaths with heart disease listed as the underlying cause reported in Nebraska during the week ending June 24, a 14.3% increase over the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending June 24, there were 327 deaths in the state. 22% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 21.4% were from cancer and less than 3.1% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 11% 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 June 24	Deaths in Week Ending June 17
Heart disease	72	63
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	70	85
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	22	20
Cerebrovascular diseases	17	18
Alzheimer's disease	16	< 10
Influenza and pneumonia	< 10	< 10
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	< 10	< 10
Diabetes mellitus	< 10	22
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	< 10	< 10
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	< 10	< 10

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending June 24	Deaths in Week Ending June 17
Alzheimer disease and dementia	36	25