Peach Tree Times

There were 73 deaths with chronic lower respiratory disease listed as the underlying cause reported in Georgia during the week ending Sept. 17, 2022, a 31.1% decrease from the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending Sept. 17, 2022, there were 1,679 deaths in the state. 20.9% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 21.4% were from cancer and 6.5% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 10% 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 Sept. 17, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending Sept. 10, 2022
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	359	322
Heart disease	351	383
Cerebrovascular diseases	98	97
Alzheimer's disease	86	76
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	73	106
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	65	80
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	44	53
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	40	35
Diabetes mellitus	36	39
Influenza and pneumonia	17	17

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending Sept. 17, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending Sept. 10, 2022
Alzheimer disease and dementia	168	156