Pelican State News

There were less than 10 deaths with influenza and pneumonia listed as the underlying cause reported in Louisiana during the week ending July 30, 2022, a decrease from the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending July 30, 2022, there were 759 deaths in the state. 23.8% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 20% were from cancer and 12.8% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 11.1% 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 30, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending July 23, 2022
Heart disease	181	201
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	152	182
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	58	43
Cerebrovascular diseases	41	33
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	39	31
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	36	50
Alzheimer's disease	33	32
Diabetes mellitus	28	39
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	15	19
Influenza and pneumonia	< 10	10

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending July 30, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending July 23, 2022
Alzheimer disease and dementia	84	71