Peach Tree Times

There were 78 deaths with chronic lower respiratory disease listed as the underlying cause reported in Georgia during the week ending Aug. 13, 2022, a 1.3% increase over the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending Aug. 13, 2022, there were 1,555 deaths in the state. 20.6% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 21.7% were from cancer and 10.7% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 9.7% 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	Deaths in Week Ending Aug. 13, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending Aug. 6, 2022
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	337	341
Heart disease	320	361
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	95	112
Cerebrovascular diseases	86	86
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	78	77
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	72	78
Alzheimer's disease	67	90
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	43	29
Diabetes mellitus	40	38
Influenza and pneumonia	18	18

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending Aug. 13, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending Aug. 6, 2022
Alzheimer disease and dementia	151	166