Silver State Times

There were 20 deaths with Alzheimer's disease listed as the underlying cause reported in Nevada during the week ending August 21, a 100 percent increase over the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending August 21, there were 698 deaths in the state. 15.8 percent of deaths were caused by heart disease, 15.2 percent were from cancer and 50 percent were from COVID-19. Additionally, 6 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 2021-08-21	Number of Deaths 2021-08-14
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	178	143
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	171	141
Heart disease	110	159
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	106	106
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	25	29
Cerebrovascular diseases	21	23
Alzheimer's disease	20	10
Diabetes mellitus	18	11
Influenza and pneumonia	< 10	< 10
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	< 10	< 10

Cause of Death	Number of Deaths 2021-08-21	Number of Deaths 2021-08-14
Alzheimer disease and dementia	42	29