Bay State News

There were 33 deaths with chronic lower respiratory disease listed as the underlying cause reported in Massachusetts during the week ending Aug. 13, 2022, a 23.3% decrease from the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending Aug. 13, 2022, there were 1,130 deaths in the state. 17.4% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 20.9% were from cancer and 7.8% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 10.3% 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. 13, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending Aug. 6, 2022
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	236	271
Heart disease	197	192
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	50	50
Cerebrovascular diseases	40	35
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	38	29
Diabetes mellitus	34	40
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	33	26
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	33	43
Alzheimer's disease	32	26
Influenza and pneumonia	14	15

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending Aug. 13, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending Aug. 6, 2022
Alzheimer disease and dementia	116	115