Sunflower State News

There were 21 deaths with chronic lower respiratory disease listed as the underlying cause reported in Kansas during the week ending April 16, 2022, a 16% decrease from the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending April 16, 2022, there were 400 deaths in the state. 19.8% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 17.5% were from cancer and less than 2.5% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 11.8% 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 April 16, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending April 9, 2022
Heart disease	79	79
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	70	66
Cerebrovascular diseases	23	14
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	21	25
Alzheimer's disease	17	13
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	11	10
Diabetes mellitus	11	11
Influenza and pneumonia	< 10	< 10
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	< 10	10
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	< 10	12

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending April 16, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending April 9, 2022
Alzheimer disease and dementia	47	51