Sooner State News

There were less than 10 deaths with nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis listed as the underlying cause reported in Oklahoma during the week ending September 18, a decrease from the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending September 18, there were 1,037 deaths in the state. 18.4 percent of deaths were caused by heart disease, 12.5 percent were from cancer and 48.5 percent were from COVID-19. Additionally, 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 2021-09-18	Number of Deaths 2021-09-11
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	263	283
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	240	258
Heart disease	191	223
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	130	137
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	79	52
Diabetes mellitus	33	21
Cerebrovascular diseases	32	43
Alzheimer's disease	22	37
Influenza and pneumonia	< 10	10
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	< 10	10

Cause of Death	Number of Deaths 2021-09-18	Number of Deaths 2021-09-11
Alzheimer disease and dementia	52	66