Silver State Times

There were 10 deaths with Alzheimer's disease listed as the underlying cause reported in Nevada during the week ending Feb. 12, a 47.4 percent decrease from the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending Feb. 12, there were 545 deaths in the state. 17.1 percent of deaths were caused by heart disease, 11.6 percent were from cancer and 54.7 percent were from COVID-19. Additionally, 6.2 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 2022-02-12	Number of Deaths 2022-02-05
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	154	205
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	144	189
Heart disease	93	120
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	63	85
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	29	25
Cerebrovascular diseases	23	23
Alzheimer's disease	10	19
Influenza and pneumonia	< 10	< 10
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	< 10	< 10
Diabetes mellitus	< 10	17

Cause of Death	Number of Deaths 2022-02-12	Number of Deaths 2022-02-05
Alzheimer disease and dementia	34	42