Keystone Today

There were 110 deaths with chronic lower respiratory disease listed as the underlying cause reported in Pennsylvania during the week ending Aug. 20, 2022, a 26.4% increase over the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending Aug. 20, 2022, there were 2,519 deaths in the state. 21.6% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 22.4% were from cancer and 8% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 8.3% 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 Aug. 20, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending Aug. 13, 2022
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	564	487
Heart disease	545	555
Cerebrovascular diseases	125	89
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	120	124
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	110	87
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	82	83
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	57	52
Alzheimer's disease	57	56
Diabetes mellitus	55	62
Influenza and pneumonia	19	30

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending Aug. 20, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending Aug. 13, 2022
Alzheimer disease and dementia	209	205