Grand Canyon Times

There were 73 deaths from chronic lower respiratory diseases reported in Arizona in the week ending Dec. 3, making up 4.7% of total deaths by all causes in Arizona, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending Dec. 3, there were 1,558 deaths in the state. 19% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 16.6% were from cancer and 11.9% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 9.9% 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	Number of Deaths	% of Total Deaths
Heart disease	296	19
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	258	16.6
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	107	6.9
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	78	5
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	73	4.7
Cerebrovascular diseases	73	4.7
Alzheimer's disease	70	4.5
Diabetes mellitus	41	2.6
Influenza and pneumonia	31	2
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	17	1.1

Cause of Death	Number of Deaths	% of Total Deaths
Alzheimer disease and dementia	154	9.9