Mountain State Times

There were 19 deaths with chronic lower respiratory disease listed as the underlying cause reported in West Virginia during the week ending Feb. 19, a 58.3 percent increase over the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending Feb. 19, there were 258 deaths in the state. 16.7 percent of deaths were caused by heart disease, 14 percent were from cancer and 40.7 percent were from COVID-19. Additionally, 8.5 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 2022-02-19	Number of Deaths 2022-02-12
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	55	97
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	50	83
Heart disease	43	47
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	36	40
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	19	12
Alzheimer's disease	12	15
Influenza and pneumonia	< 10	< 10
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	< 10	< 10
Diabetes mellitus	< 10	10
Cerebrovascular diseases	< 10	< 10

Cause of Death	Number of Deaths 2022-02-19	Number of Deaths 2022-02-12
Alzheimer disease and dementia	22	29