Pelican State News

There were 164 deaths with heart disease listed as the underlying cause reported in Louisiana during the week ending June 18, 2022, a 3.5% decrease from the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending June 18, 2022, there were 642 deaths in the state. 25.5% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 21.2% were from cancer and 1.9% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 10.6% 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	Deaths in Week Ending June 18, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending June 11, 2022
Heart disease	164	170
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	136	152
Cerebrovascular diseases	46	40
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	30	39
Alzheimer's disease	28	32
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	25	12
Diabetes mellitus	24	17
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	12	12
Influenza and pneumonia	< 10	< 10
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	< 10	< 10

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending June 18, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending June 11, 2022
Alzheimer disease and dementia	68	63