Sunflower State News

There were 14 deaths with COVID-19 listed as a contributing cause reported in Kansas during the week ending June 25, 2022, an increase over the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending June 25, 2022, there were 439 deaths in the state. 21.2% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 18.5% were from cancer and 5.7% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 10.9% 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 June 25, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending June 18, 2022
Heart disease	93	111
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	81	97
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	25	29
Cerebrovascular diseases	21	26
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	14	< 10
Diabetes mellitus	13	15
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	11	10
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	11	< 10
Alzheimer's disease	10	14
Influenza and pneumonia	< 10	< 10

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending June 25, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending June 18, 2022
Alzheimer disease and dementia	48	41