Peach Tree Times

There were 39 deaths with nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis listed as the underlying cause reported in Georgia during the week ending August 21, a 11.4 percent decrease from the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending August 21, there were 2,285 deaths in the state. 16.8 percent of deaths were caused by heart disease, 14.3 percent were from cancer and 55.6 percent were from COVID-19. Additionally, 8.2 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 2021-08-21	Number of Deaths 2021-08-14
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	649	463
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	622	440
Heart disease	385	401
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	327	358
Alzheimer's disease	99	91
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	87	83
Cerebrovascular diseases	87	96
Diabetes mellitus	56	55
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	39	44
Influenza and pneumonia	24	22

Cause of Death	Number of Deaths 2021-08-21	Number of Deaths 2021-08-14
Alzheimer disease and dementia	187	176