Pelican State News

There were 13 deaths from influenza and pneumonia reported in Louisiana in the week ending July 31, making up 1.2 percent of total deaths by all causes in Louisiana, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending July 31, there were 1,061 deaths in the state. 22.1 percent of deaths were caused by heart disease, 15.4 percent were from cancer and 27.8 percent were from COVID-19. Additionally, 6.4 percent 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	Cause of Death	% of Total Deaths
Heart disease	235	22.1
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	163	15.4
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	152	14.3
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	143	13.5
Cerebrovascular diseases	59	5.6
Alzheimer's disease	38	3.6
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	38	3.6
Diabetes mellitus	32	3
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	18	1.7
Influenza and pneumonia	13	1.2

Cause of Death	Cause of Death	% of Total Deaths
Alzheimer disease and dementia	68	6.4