Sunflower State News

There were 22 deaths with chronic lower respiratory disease listed as the underlying cause reported in Kansas during the week ending Aug. 6, 2022, a 4.3% decrease from the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending Aug. 6, 2022, there were 584 deaths in the state. 18.7% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 19.7% were from cancer and 11.1% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 10.6% 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 Aug. 6, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending July 30, 2022
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	115	100
Heart disease	109	84
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	38	21
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	27	15
Alzheimer's disease	24	18
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	22	23
Diabetes mellitus	21	22
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	18	< 10
Cerebrovascular diseases	18	18
Influenza and pneumonia	< 10	< 10

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending Aug. 6, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending July 30, 2022
Alzheimer disease and dementia	62	57