Evergreen Reporter

There were 11 deaths with nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis listed as the underlying cause reported in the state of Washington during the week ending Sept. 10, 2022, a 31.3% decrease from the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending Sept. 10, 2022, there were 1,231 deaths in the state. 18.7% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 23.3% were from cancer and 6.7% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 10.2% 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 Sept. 10, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending Sept. 3, 2022
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	287	278
Heart disease	230	213
Alzheimer's disease	67	79
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	51	54
Cerebrovascular diseases	45	63
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	39	52
Diabetes mellitus	32	43
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	31	36
Influenza and pneumonia	12	< 10
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	11	16

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending Sept. 10, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending Sept. 3, 2022
Alzheimer disease and dementia	125	144