Peach Tree Times

There were 71 deaths with Alzheimer's disease listed as the underlying cause reported in Georgia during the week ending Nov. 12, 2022, a 14.5% decrease from the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending Nov. 12, 2022, there were 1,768 deaths in the state. 20.8% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 21.8% were from cancer and 2.5% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 8.8% 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 Nov. 12, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending Nov. 5, 2022
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	385	332
Heart disease	368	378
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	96	80
Cerebrovascular diseases	89	100
Alzheimer's disease	71	83
Diabetes mellitus	51	41
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	42	44
Influenza and pneumonia	30	30
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	28	43
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	16	30

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending Nov. 12, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending Nov. 5, 2022
Alzheimer disease and dementia	155	189