Pelican State News

There were 107 deaths with heart disease listed as the underlying cause reported in Louisiana during the week ending April 9, 2022, a 18.9% decrease from the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending April 9, 2022, there were 415 deaths in the state. 25.8% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 23.6% were from cancer and 2.4% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 10.4% 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 April 9, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending April 2, 2022
Heart disease	107	132
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	98	114
Cerebrovascular diseases	28	23
Alzheimer's disease	27	23
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	21	28
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	13	12
Diabetes mellitus	12	13
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	10	18
Influenza and pneumonia	< 10	11
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	< 10	10

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending April 9, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending April 2, 2022
Alzheimer disease and dementia	43	42