Evergreen Reporter

There were 42 deaths from chronic lower respiratory diseases reported in the state of Washington in the week ending Nov. 12, making up 3.2% of total deaths by all causes in the state of Washington, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending Nov. 12, there were 1,319 deaths in the state. 18% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 20.3% were from cancer and 4.7% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 10.9% 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
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	268	20.3
Heart disease	237	18
Cerebrovascular diseases	72	5.5
Alzheimer's disease	69	5.2
Diabetes mellitus	54	4.1
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	42	3.2
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	37	2.8
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	25	1.9
Influenza and pneumonia	17	1.3
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	13	1

Cause of Death	Number of Deaths	% of Total Deaths
Alzheimer disease and dementia	144	10.9