Silver State Times

There were 12 deaths with influenza and pneumonia listed as the underlying cause reported in Nevada during the week ending September 11, a 20 percent increase over the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending September 11, there were 744 deaths in the state. 19.2 percent of deaths were caused by heart disease, 13.4 percent were from cancer and 47.8 percent were from COVID-19. Additionally, 5.5 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 2021-09-11	Number of Deaths 2021-09-04
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	182	150
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	174	144
Heart disease	143	144
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	100	78
Cerebrovascular diseases	33	26
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	18	20
Alzheimer's disease	17	19
Influenza and pneumonia	12	10
Diabetes mellitus	12	14
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	< 10	< 10

Cause of Death	Number of Deaths 2021-09-11	Number of Deaths 2021-09-04
Alzheimer disease and dementia	41	45