Pelican State News

There were 87 deaths with cancer listed as the underlying cause reported in Louisiana during the week ending April 16, 2022, a 22.3% decrease from the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending April 16, 2022, there were 390 deaths in the state. 23.6% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 22.3% were from cancer and 2.6% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 11.3% 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 16, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending April 9, 2022
Heart disease	92	134
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	87	112
Cerebrovascular diseases	30	32
Alzheimer's disease	22	30
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	17	24
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	10	10
Influenza and pneumonia	< 10	< 10
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	< 10	14
Diabetes mellitus	< 10	15
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	< 10	< 10

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending April 16, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending April 9, 2022
Alzheimer disease and dementia	44	49