Grand Canyon Times

There were 17 deaths with nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis listed as the underlying cause reported in Arizona during the week ending July 30, 2022, a 30.8% increase over the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending July 30, 2022, there were 1,263 deaths in the state. 19.5% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 18.8% were from cancer and 8.7% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 10% 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 July 30, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending July 23, 2022
Heart disease	246	258
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	238	236
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	68	60
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	61	64
Alzheimer's disease	59	51
Cerebrovascular diseases	54	75
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	42	44
Diabetes mellitus	40	46
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	17	13
Influenza and pneumonia	14	< 10

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending July 30, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending July 23, 2022
Alzheimer disease and dementia	126	125