Peach Tree Times

There were 42 deaths with nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis listed as the underlying cause reported in Georgia during the week ending July 10, a 2.4 percent increase over the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending July 10, there were 1,593 deaths in the state. 23.1 percent of deaths were caused by heart disease, 21 percent were from cancer and 4.1 percent were from COVID-19. Additionally, 8.4 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 2021-07-10	Number of Deaths 2021-07-03
Heart disease	368	369
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	334	344
Cerebrovascular diseases	90	85
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	80	91
Alzheimer's disease	70	78
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	42	41
Diabetes mellitus	42	42
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	38	34
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	28	26
Influenza and pneumonia	21	19

Cause of Death	Number of Deaths 2021-07-10	Number of Deaths 2021-07-03
Alzheimer disease and dementia	134	139