Keystone Today

There were 60 deaths from nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis reported in Pennsylvania in the week ending August 21, making up 2.3 percent of total deaths by all causes in Pennsylvania, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending August 21, there were 2,600 deaths in the state. 22.4 percent of deaths were caused by heart disease, 21 percent were from cancer and 9.3 percent were from COVID-19. Additionally, 8.3 percent 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	Cause of Death	% of Total Deaths
Heart disease	583	22.4
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	547	21
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	129	5
Cerebrovascular diseases	114	4.4
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	113	4.3
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	104	4
Alzheimer's disease	69	2.7
Diabetes mellitus	65	2.5
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	60	2.3
Influenza and pneumonia	34	1.3

Cause of Death	Cause of Death	% of Total Deaths
Alzheimer disease and dementia	216	8.3