Grand Canyon Times

There were 10 deaths with nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis listed as the underlying cause reported in Arizona during the week ending September 25, a 61.5 percent decrease from the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending September 25, there were 1,557 deaths in the state. 17.5 percent of deaths were caused by heart disease, 16 percent were from cancer and 34.5 percent were from COVID-19. Additionally, 7.5 percent 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	Number of Deaths 2021-09-25	Number of Deaths 2021-09-18
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	274	255
Heart disease	272	277
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	263	237
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	249	271
Cerebrovascular diseases	62	60
Alzheimer's disease	58	55
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	58	64
Diabetes mellitus	36	38
Influenza and pneumonia	17	26
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	10	26

Cause of Death	Number of Deaths 2021-09-25	Number of Deaths 2021-09-18
Alzheimer disease and dementia	117	119