Pelican State News

There were less than 10 deaths with COVID-19 listed as a contributing cause reported in Louisiana during the week ending April 23, 2022, a decrease from the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending April 23, 2022, there were 416 deaths in the state. 24.8% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 21.9% were from cancer and less than 2.4% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 10.8% 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 23, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending April 16, 2022
Heart disease	103	127
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	91	110
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	28	22
Cerebrovascular diseases	25	40
Alzheimer's disease	21	26
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	14	13
Diabetes mellitus	< 10	< 10
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	< 10	< 10
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	< 10	12
Influenza and pneumonia	0	< 10

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending April 23, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending April 16, 2022
Alzheimer disease and dementia	45	51