Keystone Today

There were 111 deaths from chronic lower respiratory diseases reported in Pennsylvania in the week ending Aug. 5, making up 4.6% of total deaths by all causes in Pennsylvania, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending Aug. 5, there were 2,397 deaths in the state. 20.8% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 21% were from cancer and 1.3% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 9.6% 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	Number of Deaths	% of Total Deaths
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	503	21
Heart disease	499	20.8
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	111	4.6
Cerebrovascular diseases	108	4.5
Alzheimer's disease	69	2.9
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	58	2.4
Diabetes mellitus	58	2.4
Influenza and pneumonia	35	1.5
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	19	0.8
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	13	0.5

Cause of Death	Number of Deaths	% of Total Deaths
Alzheimer disease and dementia	229	9.6