Constitution State News

There were 21 deaths with nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis listed as the underlying cause reported in Connecticut during the week ending September 18, a 110 percent increase over the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending September 18, there were 549 deaths in the state. 17.1 percent of deaths were caused by heart disease, 24.4 percent were from cancer and 14 percent were from COVID-19. Additionally, 9.8 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 2021-09-18	Number of Deaths 2021-09-11
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	134	112
Heart disease	94	94
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	42	37
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	35	36
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	24	21
Cerebrovascular diseases	23	16
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	21	10
Alzheimer's disease	17	19
Diabetes mellitus	15	12
Influenza and pneumonia	< 10	< 10

Cause of Death	Number of Deaths 2021-09-18	Number of Deaths 2021-09-11
Alzheimer disease and dementia	54	63