Peach Tree Times

There were 41 deaths with nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis listed as the underlying cause reported in Georgia during the week ending July 3, a 115.8 percent increase over the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending July 3, there were 1,578 deaths in the state. 22.9 percent of deaths were caused by heart disease, 21.7 percent were from cancer and 3.8 percent were from COVID-19. Additionally, 8.8 percent 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	Number of Deaths 2021-07-03	Number of Deaths 2021-06-26
Heart disease	361	345
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	342	375
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	91	96
Cerebrovascular diseases	84	96
Alzheimer's disease	78	75
Diabetes mellitus	42	45
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	41	19
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	34	36
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	26	25
Influenza and pneumonia	19	16

Cause of Death	Number of Deaths 2021-07-03	Number of Deaths 2021-06-26
Alzheimer disease and dementia	139	131