Pelican State News

There were less than 10 deaths with COVID-19 listed as the underlying cause reported in Louisiana in the week ending Aug. 5, making up less than 1.8% of total deaths by all causes in Louisiana, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending Aug. 5, there were 541 deaths in the state. 24.8% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 19.6% were from cancer and less than 1.8% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 12.6% 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	134	24.8
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	106	19.6
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	37	6.8
Cerebrovascular diseases	35	6.5
Alzheimer's disease	34	6.3
Diabetes mellitus	17	3.1
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	10	1.8
Influenza and pneumonia	< 10	< 1.8
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	< 10	< 1.8
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	< 10	< 1.8

Cause of Death	Number of Deaths	% of Total Deaths
Alzheimer disease and dementia	68	12.6