Pelican State News

There were less than 10 deaths with COVID-19 listed as the underlying cause reported in Louisiana in the week ending Nov. 12, making up less than 1.2% of total deaths by all causes in Louisiana, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending Nov. 12, there were 856 deaths in the state. 25.4% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 22% were from cancer and 1.3% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 9.9% 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	Number of Deaths	% of Total Deaths
Heart disease	217	25.4
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	188	22
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	43	5
Cerebrovascular diseases	42	4.9
Alzheimer's disease	38	4.4
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	23	2.7
Diabetes mellitus	23	2.7
Influenza and pneumonia	15	1.8
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	11	1.3
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	< 10	< 1.2

Cause of Death	Number of Deaths	% of Total Deaths
Alzheimer disease and dementia	85	9.9