Keystone Today

There were 137 deaths with chronic lower respiratory disease listed as the underlying cause reported in Pennsylvania during the week ending Nov. 5, 2022, a 22.3% increase over the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending Nov. 5, 2022, there were 2,812 deaths in the state. 21.7% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 18.9% were from cancer and 8.1% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 9% 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. 5, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending Oct. 29, 2022
Heart disease	610	605
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	532	530
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	138	156
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	137	112
Cerebrovascular diseases	131	134
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	91	110
Alzheimer's disease	81	79
Diabetes mellitus	80	78
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	67	64
Influenza and pneumonia	42	39

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending Nov. 5, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending Oct. 29, 2022
Alzheimer disease and dementia	253	270