Peach Tree Times

There were 54 deaths from Alzheimer's disease reported in Georgia in the week ending Dec. 24, making up 4.7% of total deaths by all causes in Georgia, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending Dec. 24, there were 1,139 deaths in the state. 25.1% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 20.9% were from cancer and 5.6% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 14.7% 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	% of Total Deaths
Heart disease	286	25.1
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	238	20.9
Cerebrovascular diseases	67	5.9
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	64	5.6
Alzheimer's disease	54	4.7
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	39	3.4
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	36	3.2
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	25	2.2
Diabetes mellitus	23	2
Influenza and pneumonia	21	1.8

Cause of Death	Number of Deaths	% of Total Deaths
Alzheimer disease and dementia	167	14.7