Grand Canyon Times

There were less than 10 deaths with nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis listed as the underlying cause reported in Arizona during the week ending October 9, a decrease from the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending October 9, there were 1,523 deaths in the state. 15.7 percent of deaths were caused by heart disease, 17.3 percent were from cancer and 30 percent were from COVID-19. Additionally, 6.8 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 2021-10-09	Number of Deaths 2021-10-02
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	263	249
Heart disease	239	259
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	235	260
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	222	246
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	71	80
Diabetes mellitus	56	47
Cerebrovascular diseases	52	60
Alzheimer's disease	46	65
Influenza and pneumonia	20	23
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	< 10	14

Cause of Death	Number of Deaths 2021-10-09	Number of Deaths 2021-10-02
Alzheimer disease and dementia	103	135