Sunflower State News

There were 11 deaths with nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis listed as the underlying cause reported in Kansas during the week ending March 12, an increase over the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending March 12, there were 439 deaths in the state. 20.7% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 15.9% were from cancer and 11.8% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 9.8% 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 March 12	Deaths in Week Ending March 5
Heart disease	91	94
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	70	82
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	35	28
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	30	54
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	22	40
Alzheimer's disease	18	15
Diabetes mellitus	15	17
Cerebrovascular diseases	15	30
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	11	< 10
Influenza and pneumonia	< 10	< 10

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending March 12	Deaths in Week Ending March 5
Alzheimer disease and dementia	43	74