Mountain State Times

There were less than 10 deaths with nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis listed as the underlying cause reported in West Virginia during the week ending July 30, 2022, a decrease from the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending July 30, 2022, there were 447 deaths in the state. 18.1% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 21.9% were from cancer and 12.5% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 7.8% 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 July 30, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending July 23, 2022
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	98	89
Heart disease	81	83
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	33	25
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	25	32
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	23	13
Cerebrovascular diseases	16	20
Diabetes mellitus	15	18
Alzheimer's disease	13	14
Influenza and pneumonia	< 10	< 10
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	< 10	10

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending July 30, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending July 23, 2022
Alzheimer disease and dementia	35	39