Great Lakes Wire

There were 33 deaths with nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis listed as the underlying cause reported in Michigan during the week ending July 30, 2022, a 37.5% increase over the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending July 30, 2022, there were 1,883 deaths in the state. 23.6% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 20.7% were from cancer and 6.2% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 7.9% 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
Heart disease	445	430
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	389	392
Cerebrovascular diseases	99	99
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	92	78
Alzheimer's disease	73	83
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	72	57
Diabetes mellitus	55	59
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	45	37
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	33	24
Influenza and pneumonia	27	25

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending July 30, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending July 23, 2022
Alzheimer disease and dementia	149	153