Magnolia State News

There were 12 deaths with nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis listed as the underlying cause reported in Mississippi during the week ending Feb. 12, an increase over the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending Feb. 12, there were 601 deaths in the state. 21.3 percent of deaths were caused by heart disease, 13 percent were from cancer and 58.1 percent were from COVID-19. Additionally, 9.2 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 2022-02-12	Number of Deaths 2022-02-05
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	187	287
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	162	244
Heart disease	128	153
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	78	114
Alzheimer's disease	31	34
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	26	42
Cerebrovascular diseases	23	32
Diabetes mellitus	18	24
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	12	< 10
Influenza and pneumonia	< 10	< 10

Cause of Death	Number of Deaths 2022-02-12	Number of Deaths 2022-02-05
Alzheimer disease and dementia	55	56