Sunflower State News

There were less than 10 deaths with influenza and pneumonia listed as the underlying cause reported in Kansas during the week ending May 15, 2021, a decrease from the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending May 15, 2021, there were 504 deaths in the state. 22.6% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 19.8% were from cancer and 6.3% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 8.5% 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 May 15, 2021	Deaths in Week Ending May 8, 2021
Heart disease	114	112
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	100	106
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	25	34
Cerebrovascular diseases	25	22
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	17	14
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	15	11
Alzheimer's disease	12	14
Diabetes mellitus	11	14
Influenza and pneumonia	< 10	12
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	< 10	< 10

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending May 15, 2021	Deaths in Week Ending May 8, 2021
Alzheimer disease and dementia	43	42