Mountain State Times

There were 10 deaths with nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis listed as the underlying cause reported in West Virginia during the week ending Oct. 15, 2022, a 37.5% decrease from the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending Oct. 15, 2022, there were 456 deaths in the state. 19.1% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 17.5% were from cancer and 6.8% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 7% 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 Oct. 15, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending Oct. 8, 2022
Heart disease	87	94
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	80	97
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	27	25
Diabetes mellitus	18	17
Cerebrovascular diseases	18	16
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	18	24
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	13	19
Influenza and pneumonia	11	< 10
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	10	16
Alzheimer's disease	10	14

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending Oct. 15, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending Oct. 8, 2022
Alzheimer disease and dementia	32	37