Peach Tree Times

There were 66 deaths with chronic lower respiratory disease listed as the underlying cause reported in Georgia during the week ending April 16, 2022, a 17.9% increase over the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending April 16, 2022, there were 991 deaths in the state. 21.7% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 22.2% were from cancer and 3.5% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 10.3% 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 April 16, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending April 9, 2022
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	220	249
Heart disease	215	279
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	66	56
Cerebrovascular diseases	63	73
Alzheimer's disease	51	59
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	22	32
Diabetes mellitus	20	26
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	19	33
Influenza and pneumonia	14	10
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	13	17

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending April 16, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending April 9, 2022
Alzheimer disease and dementia	102	109