Pelican State News

There were 22 deaths with chronic lower respiratory disease listed as the underlying cause reported in Louisiana during the week ending July 2, 2022, a 45% decrease from the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending July 2, 2022, there were 652 deaths in the state. 28.4% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 20.6% were from cancer and 4.8% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 10.3% 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 July 2, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending June 25, 2022
Heart disease	185	198
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	134	155
Cerebrovascular diseases	46	32
Alzheimer's disease	38	24
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	22	40
Diabetes mellitus	21	27
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	18	12
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	18	13
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	13	10
Influenza and pneumonia	< 10	< 10

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending July 2, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending June 25, 2022
Alzheimer disease and dementia	67	51