Peach Tree Times

There were 344 deaths with heart disease listed as the underlying cause reported in Georgia during the week ending June 24, a 0.9% decrease from the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending June 24, there were 1,655 deaths in the state. 20.8% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 21.1% were from cancer and 1.2% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 9.2% 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 June 24	Deaths in Week Ending June 17
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	349	356
Heart disease	344	347
Cerebrovascular diseases	81	68
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	78	88
Alzheimer's disease	73	70
Diabetes mellitus	56	39
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	38	37
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	20	13
Influenza and pneumonia	17	20
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	< 10	< 10

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending June 24	Deaths in Week Ending June 17
Alzheimer disease and dementia	152	162