Bay State News

There were 19 deaths with nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis listed as the underlying cause reported in Massachusetts during the week ending July 30, 2022, a 34.5% decrease from the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending July 30, 2022, there were 1,100 deaths in the state. 18% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 20.2% were from cancer and 4.6% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 11.4% 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 July 30, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending July 23, 2022
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	222	249
Heart disease	198	203
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	41	40
Cerebrovascular diseases	31	40
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	31	40
Alzheimer's disease	30	30
Diabetes mellitus	24	24
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	20	29
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	19	29
Influenza and pneumonia	17	12

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending July 30, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending July 23, 2022
Alzheimer disease and dementia	125	148