Peach Tree Times

There were 28 deaths with nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis listed as the underlying cause reported in Georgia during the week ending Aug. 6, 2022, a 31.7% decrease from the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending Aug. 6, 2022, there were 1,597 deaths in the state. 21.5% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 20.9% were from cancer and 11.4% 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 Aug. 6, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending July 30, 2022
Heart disease	343	321
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	333	356
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	107	98
Alzheimer's disease	89	73
Cerebrovascular diseases	81	96
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	75	77
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	74	78
Diabetes mellitus	37	34
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	28	41
Influenza and pneumonia	18	21

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending Aug. 6, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending July 30, 2022
Alzheimer disease and dementia	165	171