Sunflower State News

There were 17 deaths with COVID-19 listed as the underlying cause reported in Kansas during the week ending March 26, 2022, a 41.7% increase over the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending March 26, 2022, there were 437 deaths in the state. 23.3% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 16% were from cancer and 8.7% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 10.5% 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 March 26, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending March 19, 2022
Heart disease	102	103
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	70	85
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	21	18
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	19	23
Cerebrovascular diseases	17	21
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	17	12
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	11	15
Influenza and pneumonia	< 10	< 10
Diabetes mellitus	< 10	17
Alzheimer's disease	< 10	12

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending March 26, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending March 19, 2022
Alzheimer disease and dementia	46	54