Pelican State News

There were 42 deaths with cerebrovascular disease listed as the underlying cause reported in Louisiana during the week ending Nov. 12, 2022, a 10.6% decrease from the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending Nov. 12, 2022, there were 856 deaths in the state. 25.4% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 22% were from cancer and 1.3% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 9.9% 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 Nov. 12, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending Nov. 5, 2022
Heart disease	217	208
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	188	172
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	43	36
Cerebrovascular diseases	42	47
Alzheimer's disease	38	35
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	23	16
Diabetes mellitus	23	35
Influenza and pneumonia	15	11
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	11	16
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	< 10	< 10

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending Nov. 12, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending Nov. 5, 2022
Alzheimer disease and dementia	85	76