Pelican State News

There were 361 deaths with COVID-19 listed as the underlying cause reported in Louisiana in the week ending August 14, making up 28.2 percent of total deaths by all causes in Louisiana, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending August 14, there were 1,280 deaths in the state. 18 percent of deaths were caused by heart disease, 13.5 percent were from cancer and 58.1 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
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	383	29.9
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	361	28.2
Heart disease	231	18
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	173	13.5
Diabetes mellitus	47	3.7
Alzheimer's disease	45	3.5
Cerebrovascular diseases	42	3.3
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	41	3.2
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	21	1.6
Influenza and pneumonia	12	0.9

Cause of Death	Cause of Death	% of Total Deaths
Alzheimer disease and dementia	82	6.4